The Donovan Files
by The King's Soldier
Summary: A series of Claudia-centric deleted, extended, and additional scenes. One chapter per episode. Will include all main characters in some capacity.
1. 1x01 - An Unexpected Ally

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the slice of pizza.

Author's Note: I started rewatching Warehouse 13 this summer and ended up with a lot of ideas for Claudia-centric one shots. After toying around with a few, I decided it would be interesting to try and write something for each episode of the show. So here I am. We'll see how this goes. I decided to go ahead and start with the first episode of the show, despite the fact that Claudia doesn't even appear until episode four. This scene is what I think Claudia might have been up to during the events of the pilot. It's a bit short because it was all off the top of my head. Once we get up to episode four, I'll actually have solid material to work with. Enjoy!

* * *

**An Unexpected Ally**

_"See, I have to believe that there's more than this seems,  
more than a soul in a boat in a sea of sinking dreams."  
-Thriving Ivory_

"Son of an Android!" Claudia swore. She slammed her fist onto the top of her desk in frustration. The digital fortress that was Warehouse 13 had once again withstood her attempts to sway it. Curses! Foiled again.

An irritating line of script rolled across the screen, clearly spelling out her repeated failure. Claudia answered it with a glare.

"Yeah, well, your mother was a hamster," she said venomously.

She leaned back in her chair, trying to think of something else to try. It had taken months of research (also known as digging through what the government thought were top secret files) to confirm that Warehouse 13 even existed. She had thought that would be the hard part. But now, after a week of carefully prodding the firewall, she was still no closer to finding a way in.

Her email beeped, signaling that she had a message. That was a surprise. Claudia never heard from anyone these days. Mostly because there wasn't really anyone to hear from. Her foster siblings through the years had been little more than forced acquaintances and her fellow inmates in the psych ward didn't really have reliable internet access. She also had no credit cards or online bank accounts. Well, none that were actually hers, but that was a completely different issue. In other words, who in the world was she getting mail from?

Curious, Claudia pulled up her email account. Her shoulders sagged a bit in mild disappointment. Oh. It was another notification from the social network she had joined a few years ago to... Actually, now that she thought about it, she couldn't really remember why she had created the account. She clicked on the message, fully intending to delete it and then go delete her account as a vindictive statement against society. Her fingers stilled, however, when she saw what the message was. A friend request. From someone named Michael Reynolds.

Reynolds? Wait a minute. She knew that name. Joshua had studied physics under a Professor Michael Reynolds. But that had been a full thirteen years ago.

"Whoa," Claudia said in surprise. "Talk about a blast from the past."

She had always liked Professor Reynolds. He had been more of a fond uncle to her than just her brother's professor. He had also been the only one at the university who treated her as a fellow scientist instead of an irritating child. She would have accepted the request for that alone. But he was also the one who had given Joshua the Rheticus compass in the first place. Claudia could already feel the gears turning in her head. Maybe he would be able to give her a nudge in the right direction.

With that in mind, she clicked to accept the request. That automatically linked her back to the social networking site. Claudia opened her notifications and clicked on Professor Reynolds' name. Maybe his profile would give her some clues as to what he had been up to since she had last seen him. At the very least, it would provide a welcome distraction. Her fried brain was in desperate need of a break.

She picked up the last slice of cold pepperoni pizza left over from last night's dinner and began to read. She had barely made it through the small paragraph of basic interests (she hadn't known he was a fan of H.G. Wells) when a chat window appeared on the bottom of her screen. Claudia stopped reading with the partially eaten slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. The tab at the top of the chat window said Michael Reynolds.

"Speak of the devil," Claudia said. She set the pizza back in the bottom of the grease-soaked delivery box and clicked the chat window. The message was short, but it still caused the corner of her mouth to tug up in a small smile.

_Hello, dear Claudia! It has been far too long. How are you and Joshua?_

"Well, hello to you too," Claudia said out loud as she began to type. "I'm just peachy, thanks, but Joshua's spent the last twelve years stuck in an inter-dimensional space."

She pressed enter to send her carefully constructed reply, which vaguely indicated that Joshua was in some degree of trouble. A moment later a small pencil appeared in the chat box to signal that Professor Reynolds was writing back. The message appeared shortly after.

_Is there anything I can do to help?_

Claudia grinned. She had finally managed to catch a break. Maybe her luck was slowly beginning to change.

"Alright, Professor," she said, giving her knuckles a good crack before touching her fingers to the keyboard. "Let's see what you remember about Georg Rheticus."

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So do you guys think this project has some potential? Leave a review and let me know!


	2. 1x02 - Light 'Em Up

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the cupcake.

Author's Note: Chapter two of this project. Episode two included Artie's first run-in with the mysterious hacker attempting to gain access to the Warehouse. This chapter is my take on that scene from Claudia's viewpoint. The chapter title and the lyrics at the beginning come from Fall Out Boy's hit "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark". It seemed to me like it would have been Claudia's anthem of sorts before she joined the Warehouse. Enjoy!

***Special thanks to the four people who reviewed chapter one. You guys rock!***

* * *

**Light 'Em Up**

_"Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark.  
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark.  
And besides, in the mean, mean time I'm  
just dreaming of tearing you apart."  
-Fall Out Boy  
_

Claudia bit her lip as her fingers danced across the keyboard. Her last conversation with Professor Reynolds had been surprisingly helpful. They had been working together for a few weeks now, comparing notes on Rheticus. Claudia had filled him in on her hunt for Warehouse 13, and after some back and forth correspondence, Professor Reynolds had given her a few new ideas that might be able to help her circumvent Warehouse 13's first lines of digital defense. She wasn't particularly hopeful, of course. So far she hadn't been having much luck.

Until now.

"Happy Birthday to me," Claudia said smugly.

She couldn't help the grin that crossed her face as she crossed through the last of the initial firewalls. She was in. The gates of heaven had just swung open. Well, they weren't fully open. She still didn't have access to the basic data files, let alone the system's core. But she finally had her foot in the door. The fact that it was also her nineteenth birthday only made the victory that much sweeter.

She had only been in the system for a few seconds when someone began trying to trace her location. Unfortunately for them, she had come prepared.

"Time to ring the bell and run," Claudia said.

She was talking to her computer again. It was all Milo's fault. He had always talked to himself. Well, he claimed he was communicating with the implant the aliens had put in his head. Claudia had never bought into that one the way some of the other inmates had. But she had apparently picked up his habit of talking to an empty room. Doctor Creepy Pants, as Claudia had dubbed him, would have had a field day with that one.

Claudia wouldn't really have cared too much about it under normal circumstances, but the idea of holding on to something that the institution had failed to break her of was too much to resist. So she had decided to let herself keep doing it as a personal middle finger salute to the caretakers at the International House of Nut Jobs. She might be quirky and unbalanced, but crazy she was most definitely not. And she was going to prove it.

A few rapid keystrokes were all it took to momentarily disable the Warehouse 13 computer. It wasn't enough to do any serious damage, but it would stop the trace cold. It would also tell whoever was on the other end of the system that she knew they were on to her. While it might have been easier if she had remained undetected, part of Claudia had wanted to be discovered. It would definitely make them nervous to know that there was someone out there capable of hacking into one of the most top secret facilities in the United States. And nervous people made mistakes.

With that thought, Claudia pulled herself out of the Warehouse 13 system. That small foray was enough for the moment. She ran a quick search to be sure her phony trail was neatly in place before adding the final finishing touches. It had to be obvious enough to be noticed, but also covert enough to seem accidental. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who's side you were on), Claudia was an expert at digital deception.

"Tonight's dinner will be a nice roast goose chase," she said in her best deep butler voice, "followed by a course of delicious red herring. We do hope that you enjoy it."

There. That should keep them busy while she came up with a real plan.

"Game on, Artie."

With that done, Claudia turned her attention to the small box sitting on her desk. She flipped it open to reveal the chocolate cupcake she had ordered from the nearby bakery. She had intended to eat it after another dinner of cold pizza, but finally making progress on the firewall was definitely cause for celebration.

A small blue candle rested atop the cupcake. Claudia pulled a lighter out of the desk drawer and lit the wick atop the little wax tower. The sight of the dancing flame lofted over chocolate icing immediately brought back memories of presents and family. Even after all these years, Claudia's throat still tightened a little at the sight of it. She could still see Joshua smiling as he held up the camera. _Make a wish, Claude._

Claudia closed her eyes and concentrated. She knew logically that blowing out a candle didn't change anything. But something about the tradition gave her a sense of hope.

"I wish for Josh to come home," she said quietly. Maybe on her next birthday she wouldn't have to celebrate alone.

She leaned forward and blew out the candle.

* * *

Thoughts? Leave a review and let me know!


	3. 1x03 - Into the Breach

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Obviously.

Author's Note: Like the last chapter, this one is drawn mostly from the bits of Claudia's hacking handiwork that show up in the episode. This one consists of a few tiny scene snippets that come together to form the full chapter. Also, as I get further into this I keep having songs come to mind in relation to certain episodes. So as an added element to this challenge, I'm also going to try to find song lyrics for the beginning of each chapter. We'll see how difficult that proves. Anyway. On to the chapter!

* * *

**Into the Breach**

"_Holy water cannot help you now.  
See, I've come to burn your kingdom down.  
And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out.  
I'm gonna raise the stakes. I'm gonna smoke you out."  
-Florence + The Machine_

Claudia had barely left her apartment since successfully breaching the firewall. Most of her meals now were takeout that she had delivered to the door. There was a cheap Thai place down the street, and she had ordered from there so many times that now she only had to give her name and the kid on the other end already knew her order. Money carefully siphoned out of a local bank helped to cover the cost. As long as she stayed on top of her rent, no one else ever came to the door.

All of her time now was spent finalizing her plan. She was closer now that she had ever been. And it was none too soon, either. Joshua's visits were getting more and more frequent. The headaches that accompanied them were steadily getting worse and she was pushing so hard that she had started getting nosebleeds multiple times a week. If she didn't get this figured out soon, she was going to crash. Hard.

She had spent the last few days carefully probing Warehouse 13's systems. So far Artie and his little minions seemed to be more or less ignoring her. Although that fact that she was being far more subtle probably helped. All she had really managed to do was cause a few shorts, a few small blips that would register as nothing more than expected anomalies in the system. But today she was trying something different. Today she was going to try to see if she could use Warehouse 13's electrical grid to determine the building's location.

She knew she was finally getting through when a portion of the system was manually reset. So someone had noticed her little light show. She still had no real control, but she did manage to flick the lights inside Warehouse 13 on and off a few times as a mocking salute.

"You better watch out, Artie," she said with a grin. "Santa Clause is coming to town. And you have been a very bad boy."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next logical step, of course, was for the employees of Warehouse 13 to begin examining the electrical system by hand. That, of course, could have taken days. But it only took them a few hours to find an actual short. Claudia was munching her customary Thai takeout with her feet kicked up on the desk when they reached her little trap. She swung her feet to the floor, setting the takeout box on the desk.

"Let's have a little fun, shall we?" she asked the computer. She watched the screen as they located the anomaly and attempted to fix it. Instead it momentarily fritzed Warehouse 13's electrical system before crashing all the lights.

"Oops," Claudia said mockingly. "I hope you're not afraid of the dark, Artie."

Her childish glee didn't last long. The familiar pain had started building in the back of her skull. All of a sudden it was hard to breathe. Joshua was once again on his way.

"Oh, crap," Claudia muttered. She closed her laptop and braced herself against the desk chair. "This is gonna be fun."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Joshua's visit left Claudia completely exhausted and she ended up falling asleep at the computer. When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning. Her headache had receded, but she was still exhausted. Plus, her neck hurt like hell from sleeping hunched over the desk. It took a few minutes of stretching it before she could properly turn her head.

She inhaled the remains of her Thai food as a form of breakfast before getting back to work. She had confirmed her suspicion that Warehouse 13 was somewhere in the continental United States. Not only that, but it was in the western chunk. And even that field was already narrowing. If her luck held, a few more hours of fishing in the electrical grid might give her the actual location of Warehouse 13.

"You can run all you want, Artie," she told the computer. "But you can't hide."

She rubbed her neck one final time and set to work.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Allons-y."

A look of awe crossed Claudia's face. K39ZZZ. A chain of seemingly insignificant letters and numbers, but to Claudia it was everything. It was the location of Warehouse 13. She had done it. After all of this time, she had finally found it.

"Hang on, Josh," Claudia said. "I'm almost there."

She ran one final foray into the system, just to be sure. It was hers now. Common sense told her to back out now and go pack her bag before they noticed, but Claudia Donovan had far too much flair for that. It was time to tip her hand.

Fritzing the overhead lights was easy. Wresting full control of the lighting system took a bit more work. Once she managed that, however, setting up the rotating message she had chosen was a slice of pie.

"Knock knock," she said, an evil grin on her face. She leaned back in her chair to admire her handiwork. Someone would surely have gone to check on the lighting after her little display. It wouldn't be long before they found her calling card.

"Ready or not, here I come."

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I know from the traffic stat that people are actually reading this story. If you would be so kind as to leave a review, I would be extremely grateful. It'll take you about thirty seconds and it'll make me day.


	4. 1x04 - Down the Rabbit Hole

Disclaimer: None of this is mine.

Author's Note: And finally we have reached Claudia's actual appearance in the show. From here on out these chapters will be add-ons to the actual episodes. This chapter consists of two small scenes: one at the very beginning of the episode and one at the very end. It's not one of my favorite pieces, but I just didn't feel like this episode was really missing anything. It still centers just on Claudia. Next chapter we'll finally start seeing her interact with the rest of the Warehouse team. Enjoy!

* * *

**Down the Rabbit Hole**

"_Bring me home in a blinding dream  
through the secrets that I have seen.  
Wash the sorrow from off my skin  
and show me how to be whole again."  
-Linkin Park_

Warehouse 13 was bigger than Claudia had imagined. She had known it was big, but seeing it in person... It was truly enormous. And it was also in the dead center of nowhere.

"No wonder Indy never found the Ark again," she muttered as she looked up at the giant metal building. If the place went as far back into the mountain as she thought it did, it would be terribly easy to get lost inside and never find a way back out. But she only needed to go in long enough to grab Artie. There was only one car sitting outside of Warehouse 13, and a quick hack into the DMV database had confirmed that it was indeed Artie Neilsen's. He was home alone. Perfect.

Claudia's fresh knowledge of Warehouse 13's system, combined with her hacking skills, made it ridiculously easy to get the front door open. Beyond that was a white tunnel that curved out of sight. Claudia stepped inside and gave the support beams an appreciative nod.

"Nice bombs," she said. She used her finger to flick the plastic casing of one. She already knew they were detonated by signal, not touch. They could sit through an earthquake and not go off. Not that she was particularly eager to test it.

The walk through the tunnel was a short one. A moment later she was at the inner door. This one was almost as easy to open as the front door. Claudia hesitated for a moment, trying to see if she could hear anything inside. Then she carefully pushed the door open and peered into the room.

Someone was slumped over the desk across from the door. Artie. He was clearly asleep, but for a second Claudia worried that the door might have woken him. A loud snore assured her that it hadn't. Claudia couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face.

"Too easy," she muttered.

She stepped over to the desk, handcuffs at the ready. It was time to bring Josh home.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Josh was safe. They had done it. And Claudia wasn't going to jail for kidnapping, either. Artie's coworkers had actually been quite nice once they realized she wasn't trying to hurt him. They had even offered to let her and Joshua stay at the B&B for a time while they regained their footing. Dinner had been the best meal Claudia had eaten in a long time. Her new bed was comfortable and the room was spacious, but it was a new place full of people she didn't know and that always made Claudia a little nervous. In spite of her severe exhaustion, she just couldn't seem to fall asleep.

Finally she gave up. She swung her feet off the bed and stumbled over to the door. The landing outside was dim, but there was some moonlight coming in through the window. It took Claudia a moment to remember which room was Joshua's. She walked over to it and quietly opened the door. There was just enough light in the room for her to make out Josh sound asleep on his bed.

It had taken months for Claudia to realize that she wasn't just hallucinating, that she was actually seeing Joshua. She had spent every waking moment since then trying to find a way to get him back. But through it all, there had always been a voice in the back of her head asking "What if?" What if it really was just a hallucination? What if Doctor Creepy Pants was right? What if she really was crazy? But today she had finally proved to herself and the world that she wasn't. Josh really was alive. They had been wrong and she had been right. And now he was sleeping right there in front of her.

For a moment Claudia just stood there and stared at him. He was really there. He wasn't in her head or trapped in some inter-dimensional space. They had saved him. She had her brother back. So maybe she hadn't given the plan as much thought as she should have. Using Artie's car hadn't been the brightest move ever. Neither was going to the lab in daylight. But she had figured she was already in hot water for kidnapping a federal employee (even though most of the government didn't even know his job existed), so why not add a few more felonies to the list? Besides, at the time she hadn't really cared. The only thing that had mattered was rescuing Joshua. And they had succeeded. Her plan had worked, albeit in a roundabout way. After two years of working and agonizing, Josh was finally free.

He hadn't aged a day in the twelve years he had been gone. He looked just like he had the day he vanished. It was strange to think about. By age he was fourteen years older than she was, but his physical body was only twenty-one. That made them practically the same age. But he still was, and always would be, her big brother.

On an impulse, Claudia stepped into the room. She quietly shut the door behind her before tiptoeing over to Joshua's bed. Then she pulled back the covers and climbed in next to her brother. It was true that she was probably getting a little old to be doing this. But she had missed out on twelve years with Josh and she didn't want to miss a single moment more.

Joshua shifted in his sleep and draped his arm around her. For the first time in years, Claudia suddenly knew that she was going to be okay. She let her eyes drift shut as Joshua's breathing slowly lulled her to sleep.

She slept soundly for the rest of the night.

* * *

So this concludes the section of chapters on Claudia's pre-Warehouse employment. How were they? Leave a quick review to let me know. Also, I have these one-shots mapped out pretty far ahead in my mind, but if there's something in particular you would like to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do.


	5. 1x05 - Of Insomnia and Scotchies

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the spoon.

Author's Note: This chapter finally begins Claudia's interactions with the rest of the Warehouse team. From here on the pieces should begin to get a little longer now that I actually have solid material to work with. This piece takes place the night after episode 5 during Claudia's first night as an official member of the Warehouse team. Enjoy!

***Special thanks to adelaidybug for actually taking time to review the last chapter. You're awesome.***

* * *

**Of Insomnia and Scotchies**

"_I spend these nights counting stars like a runaway.  
And maybe I could call this home tonight."  
-Thriving Ivory_

It was official. Claudia was staying at Warehouse 13. She wasn't old enough to be a field agent so it was more as a sort of intern, but still. It felt strange to have a permanent place of residence. True, she'd been living in her rented apartment for four years, but that had started as a temporary thing and somehow in her mind it had just stayed that way. And now she had a real place. She couldn't really call it home yet. She had only been there for a few days. But it was a definite start.

She also had a real job. That was new. She had been fifteen when she had hacked the foster system and changed her file so she was legally emancipated. Finding legal work for a fifteen-year-old had been tricky, so that had also caused her first journey into the world of fake IDs. Even then, most of the jobs she landed hadn't been exactly honest.

She had worked a few "real" jobs in the last four years, but none of them had lasted. Either she had quit because the job was too boring or been fired because she wasn't boring enough. Eventually she had given up. Then she had started seeing Joshua again and she had turned to hacking to pay the bills while she tried to figure out what exactly had happened to her brother.

Who was now off working a job in CERN. Claudia had initially taken that as her cue to leave. She had gotten what she needed from Warehouse 13 and it was time to part ways. Why not test her skills in Vegas? A girl could always use a little pocket money. It would be fun to see how far she could go without getting caught. At least, that was what she had told herself.

In reality, Vegas had been boring at best. It was too easy. Card counting was kid stuff. The tricks that had seemed almost magical in middle school were nothing compared to having hacked into one of the most secure facilities in the United States. Claudia had tasted a true challenge, and now all lesser things were officially ruined. That left her with two choices. She could either go back to Warehouse 13 or she could spend the rest of her life making due with boredom. And Claudia had never been good with boredom.

That was how she had come to be sitting on the downstairs couch in the B&B at three in the morning. The chronic insomnia she had developed over the last two years had once again decided to rear its ugly head. A week ago Claudia would have reacted by returning to work on what she had mentally dubbed the Joshua Problem. But now Josh was safe and she had no idea what to do with herself.

"Can't sleep?" a voice asked. Claudia looked up to see Leena standing in the doorway.

"Haven't you heard?" Claudia asked in a joking tone. "Genius whiz kids don't sleep. We're all circuit boards and wires."

"I see," Leena said with a smile. She came over to the couch and sat down beside Claudia. "I remember my first week here. I couldn't sleep either. Everything was so new and big. It was all so overwhelming."

"You could say that again," Claudia agreed.

"You'll get used to it," Leena assured her. Claudia shrugged. Leena waited a moment to see if Claudia would say anything. When she didn't, Leena decided to take another angle.

"So Joshua's off to CERN," she said. Claudia nodded.

"Yup," she said. "He's off smashing atoms with the other smart kids."

"That must be hard," Leena said sympathetically.

"He's a big boy," Claudia said, intentionally misinterpreting the question. "He'll be fine."

"I'm sure he will," Leena agreed. "And so will you."

Claudia shrugged half-heartedly. When she had first walked through the doors of the B&B she had been all laughter and sarcasm. But now she just looked lonely.

"I know we're not Joshua," Leena said seriously, "but we're all here for you. Yes, we're a little crazy at times-"

"A little?" Claudia asked drily. But there was warmth her eyes.

"Okay, maybe very crazy," Leena agreed with a smile. "But we're a family. And you're a part of it now. You're not alone anymore, Claudia."

"That was pretty good," Claudia said, trying to look impressed. "Did you practice that little spiel?"

"Maybe," Leena said vaguely. Claudia grinned. Leena turned to look in the direction of the kitchen, an idea forming in her mind. When she turned back, there was a twinkle in her eyes. "Do you like cookies?"

"Is that seriously even a question?" Claudia asked. "Of course I like cookies. Who doesn't?"

"Good," Leena said conspiratorially. "Because late-night baking just so happens to be the perfect cure for insomnia."

"Does it, now?" Claudia said, a grin forming on her face.

"Yes," Leena confirmed. She was also grinning. "I think a batch of Oatmeal Scotchies should do the trick, don't you?"

"I think you might be right," Claudia agreed.

"Shall we?" Leena asked, standing up and motioning at the kitchen.

"Take me to your kitchen, earthling," Claudia said robotically. Leena laughed.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

In the end, neither one of them went back to bed. Once the cookies were finished, they sat on the porch and talked while they waited for the sunrise. Then they headed inside for coffee. They were already on their second cups by the time Myka came down.

"Good morning," Leena said warmly.

"Good morning," Myka said, pulling back a chair so she could join them at the table. "You're up early."

"Late, actually," Claudia corrected.

A loud yawn caused them all to turn as Pete come stumbling in, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He was still in the sweatpants and college T-shirt he always slept in.

"I smell Scotchies," he said through a yawn.

"Courtesy of Claudia," Leena told him.

"Leena did all the work," Claudia told him. "I just supervised. And licked the spoon."

"Hey," Pete said, sitting down at the table. "I wanted to lick the spoon."

"Then ya should've been up earlier," Claudia said with a shrug.

"The early bird gets the worm," Myka added, grinning.

"And the spoon," Pete pouted.

The front door swung open and Artie came in, already talking about something. Claudia had discovered quickly that Artie Neilsen woke up far earlier and was alert much quicker than any normal human being had a right to be. Sometimes Claudia wondered if it was simply because he took joy in being the irritating morning person that drove everyone else crazy.

"Good morning," he said cheerily as he came into the dining room. "Ah, good, you're all up. I have a- Wait." He stopped suddenly and held up his pointer finger, sniffing the air. "Do I smell Scotchies?"

"Breakfast first," Leena said, a smile playing across her face.

As Pete and Artie both began to argue pleadingly with her over why they couldn't just have Scotchies for breakfast, Claudia decided that maybe Leena was right. Life at Warehouse 13 wasn't making omelets with Joshua or listening to him read Maria Looney on the Red Planet. But it had a set of perks all its own that just might make it a very close second.

She could learn to live with that.

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Imaginary Scotchies for anyone who leaves a review. First reviewer gets to lick the imaginary spoon. :)


	6. 1x06 - Here to Stay

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This is the chapter for episode six. It just wraps up a few tiny things that I felt could have used a bit more resolution, namely Artie and Claudia's partnership and Myka's reflection on the reality of her job. Enjoy!

* * *

**Here to Stay**

"_There's so many things we're not.  
But with what we have,  
I promise you that we're marching on."  
-OneRepublic_

"The spine is on the shelf and we are good to go," Claudia said as she came back into the Warehouse office. She took a look around as she suddenly realized she and Artie were the only ones in it. "Where's Myka and the zombie?"

"Zombie?" Artie asked, looking up from his computer with a confused expression.

"Pete," Claudia clarified. "He is one of the walking dead now."

Artie groaned and pushed his glasses up onto his forehead so he could rub his eyes.

"Will you two never stop?" he asked grumpily.

"Doubtful," Claudia confirmed with a smile.

Myka appeared through the windows coming around the landing. A moment later the office door opened and closed as she came in.

"Did Rebecca already leave?" she asked.

"You just missed her," Artie said. Myka nodded. She seemed a little out of sorts. Artie gave her a concerned look. "Everything okay?"

"Hm?" Myka asked, coming out of whatever place her mind had been in. "Oh, yeah. Where's Pete?"

"He said something about having a date with a mirror," Artie said. The statement had obviously confused him. Myka and Claudia, however, exchanged a knowing look.

"Ping pong," they both said in unison.

"What?" Artie asked. "What does a mirror have to do with ping pong?"

"Maybe you should ask Pete that," Myka said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"But why... What could..." Artie turned back to his monitor as he tried to puzzle it out.

"I am heading back to the B&B," Myka said, turning to Claudia. "You want to come?"

"Sure," Claudia said amiably. The two of them headed for the door together.

"Oh, Claudia?" Artie called just as the door swung open.

"Yeah?" Claudia asked. She turned back to see him watching her.

"You, um..." He fumbled for words, obviously unsure of how to say what he wanted to. "You know, that... that hologram projector was... I never would have... well, and the bolt of lightning you... that was really... I just, um... Well, what I mean to say is that..."

"Artie?" Claudia interrupted. She was completely lost. Artie trailed off with a sigh. Then he took a breath and started over.

"Good work," he said simply. It was clear from his face that he meant it. A slow smile spread across Claudia's face as she realized what he had just said.

"You weren't half bad yourself, geezer," she said,

"Thanks," Artie said drily. He started to turn back to his desk, but then turned back. "And by the way, I do love the initiative."

"You heard that?" Claudia said sheepishly. Artie nodded.

"Contrary to popular belief, old and deaf are not always synonymous," he said. Claudia grinned even more. Artie's eyes narrowed in a mock glare. "Now get off my lawn."

"Aye aye, Captain Grumpy Pants," Claudia said, giving him a snappy salute. She turned and followed Myka out the door. Artie shook his head as he returned to his work. He had a feeling that girl would be the death of him someday.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The drive back to the B&B was a quiet one. The only sound was the breeze rushing past the open windows. Claudia hadn't really spent much time with Myka during her short time at the Warehouse, so she wasn't really sure what to say. For her part, Myka seemed lost in her own world.

"Are you okay?" Claudia finally asked. Myka gave her a questioning look, so she decided to clarify. "I mean, Pete died today."

"Yeah, he did," Myka said quietly.

"Must've been pretty scary," Claudia said. It was obviously bothering Myka, but they had only known each other for a few weeks. Claudia wasn't really sure how far she was allowed to go.

"It was," Myka agreed.

The older agent seemed to make a sudden decision then. She pulled the car over into a patch of grass beside the empty road and turned it off. Claudia suddenly began to worry she had pushed too hard. Then Myka turned to look at her and there was something in her eyes that Claudia couldn't read.

"Are you sure you want this job?" Myka asked seriously.

"Why?" Claudia asked, confused. "Did I do something?"

"No," Myka said with a quick shake of her head. "It's just... This job is dangerous, Claudia. People get hurt or even killed. People you care about. Are you sure you want this?"

"Are you?" Claudia asked.

"It's different for me," Myka said, turning to look out the windshield. "I'm a Secret Service agent. I was trained for this."

"Myka?" Claudia said drily. "Nobody is trained for this."

A smile tugged at the corner of Myka's mouth.

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But you're nineteen, Claudia. You're still a kid."

"You think I can't handle it?" Claudia asked.

"No, I know you can," Myka assured her. "You're smart and you're talented. But this job is hard and it's emotional. It doesn't just affect your life, it is your life. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know how dangerous this stuff can be," Claudia told her. "My brother was trapped in an inter-dimensional space for twelve years because of an artifact. But the Warehouse helped me get him back. That's what you guys do. You save the world every day. And I want to be a part of that."

Myka could feel a smile forming at the passion in Claudia's voice. She had never heard her speak so strongly about something. Neither had she ever heard her say so much at once.

"This job is important, Myka," Claudia continued. "Because of us that spine is a pile of parts on a shelf and it can never hurt anyone again. We did that. And for the first time in my life I feel like I'm actually doing something that matters. There's dangerous stuff out there and somebody has to keep it from hurting people. So it's hard. Life is hard. But someone has to do it. And besides, not everything in the Warehouse is bad. Artie has me on eternal inventory duty- which does get a little old sometimes, but anyway- there is some wicked cool stuff in there. Stuff that goes beyond amazing. It's like..."

"Endless wonder," Myka finished.

"Yeah," Claudia said. There was a twinkle in her eyes. "I know this job is hard. Believe me, I do. But it's also amazing. And honestly? I can't see myself anywhere else."

Myka studied her a moment, trying to see if she truly meant it. Then she nodded.

"Good," she said. There was a smile on her face as if that was the answer she had been hoping to hear.

"Besides," Claudia said with her usual good humor. "If I tried to leave now, Mrs. Frederic would probably have me mind-wiped or something."

Myka laughed.

"Probably," she agreed.

The conversation was interrupted at that moment by another car stopping beside them. The passenger window rolled down and they found themselves looking at Pete.

"Hey, you guys okay?" he asked in concern. Myka nodded.

"Yeah," she said, glancing over at Claudia. "We were just having some girl talk."

Pete made a face.

"Well, if you're done with your 'girl talk'," he said, removing his hands from the steering wheel to make air quotes, "Leena just called to say dinner's almost ready."

"We're done," Claudia assured him.

"Good," Pete said. A devilish gleam entered his eye. "I'll race you back."

"Oh, you are so on," Claudia said as Myka turned the key in the ignition.

"Last one back is a dead man," Pete said with a grin. "Oh wait."

With a final parting smirk, he pushed the gas pedal to the floor. His car shot off down the dirt road. The breeze carried his victorious cry back to their ears.

"Pete, you are such a cheater!" Myka yelled as she turned the steering wheel to get her car back on the road.

"Come on, come on!" Claudia urged. "We're gonna get beat by a dead guy!"

"Oh, no, we're not," Myka said dangerously as her tires finally found the dirt road.

She hit the gas and they took off down the road after Pete.

* * *

I know from the traffic stats that people are reading this story. Please take thirty seconds to leave me a review of just a sentence or two telling me what you thought about the chapter. It makes for a happy writer. And to those of you who have been reviewing, thanks again.


	7. 1x07 - A Leap of Faith

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the boxes.

Author's Note: Episode seven is the only episode after her character's introduction in which Claudia doesn't actually make an appearance. So I made up a story about where I think she was during that time. Enjoy!

* * *

**A Leap of Faith**

"_I'm coming home to breathe again, to start again.  
I'm coming home from all the places I have been  
with nothing but a voice within that calls me… calls me home."  
-Shannon Labrie_

Claudia stared at the Warehouse monitor, her fingers idly tapping the desk beside the keyboard. It was the next to last day of the month. In two days it would be the first. That meant rent was almost due on her small apartment at Mrs. Richmond's place. In two days the program Claudia was staring at would carefully siphon money out of selected bank accounts and transfer it over to pay the bill. Unless she chose to terminate it.

Her humor and wit meant that Claudia often came across as fun and spontaneous. But she had been around long enough to know the value of a good back-up plan. She had been at the Warehouse just over a month now. Her last payment had occurred before Josh left, back when Warehouse 13 had been little more than a temporary way station. Even after she chose to stay, she had decided to keep the apartment open just in case things went south. She had even left most of her things there. She kept telling Leena she would go get them, but in truth she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Only it hadn't. In fact, just the opposite. Things had been going remarkably well. Leena offered Claudia whatever advice she wanted whether it be about Warehouse 13 or just life in general. Pete had automatically adopted Claudia as a sort of little sister and treated her as such. It was comforting to finally have an older brother again. Myka and Claudia had started up a sort of fledgling friendship despite the fact that they seemed to have little in common. And while Artie was still his usual grumpy self, Claudia felt certain that she was growing on him. For the first time in years, she finally felt like she had found somewhere she belonged.

The Warehouse door opened and Claudia looked up to see Leena coming in.

"Hey," Leena said with a smile.

"Did you get Artie to the airport in one piece?" Claudia asked, draping her arm over the back of the chair.

"Barely," Leena said, making a face. "Flying turns him into a big baby."

"Well, the invention of the airplane did occur during his mid-life crisis," Claudia explained with mock seriousness. Leena laughed.

"What are you working on?" she asked as she came over to the computer.

"Nothing," Claudia said vaguely. She minimized the program, hoping it looked casual. "Have you heard anything from Pete and Myka?"

"Not since they left Dickinson's office," Leena said, deciding to ignore the obvious subject change. "Artie said he'll call when he meets up with them."

"So what do we do until then?" Claudia asked. Leena shrugged.

"I'm sure there's inventory you could be doing," she offered.

"Leena," Claudia said with an incredulous look, "in case you haven't noticed, Artie is gone. Why in the world would I be working?"

"Or we could always play Monopoly again," Leena said with a gleam in her eye. Claudia groaned and leaned forward to put her face in her hands.

"Oh, please no," she moaned. "I think my brain will explode if I have to sit through another four hours of that."

Leena laughed.

"I'm sure you can find something to do," she said. She headed over to the door that led out onto the balcony overlooking the Warehouse.

"Do not pass Go, do not collect the Monopoly board," Claudia warned as she turned back to her computer. Once the innkeeper was out of the office, Claudia pulled the program back up and stared at the script. It was time to make a decision.

"Hey Leena?" she called.

"Yes?" Leena said, leaning back into the room.

"Would it... be okay if I... took tomorrow off?" Claudia asked awkwardly.

"Why?" Leena asked as she stepped back into the office."

"I just figured that, you know, I've been here like a month now and, you know, maybe it's time to... go get the rest of my stuff."

"I agree," Leena said with a warm smile. "Do you want me to come?"

"I've got it," Claudia assured her. "It'll take a couple of days and Artie might have a stroke if we were both out."

"That he might," Leena agreed. "I can book you a flight if you want. That way it won't take so long to get there."

"I think I'd rather drive," Claudia said. This was something she needed to do for herself. She grinned. "Besides, maybe I can stop off in Vegas and refill my pockets."

Leena rolled her eyes.

"If you get caught cheating, I'm not coming after you," she warned.

"Yes, Mom," Claudia said, rolling her eyes as she turned back to her computer. "And on that note, I am heading to bed. You wouldn't want me falling asleep at the wheel."

"No, I wouldn't," Leena agreed. "It's too much insurance paperwork if you crash."

"You sound like Artie," Claudia told her. Leena grinned.

"Good night," she said, heading back out onto the landing. "Drive safe tomorrow."

"Will do," Claudia assured her. Once Leena had gone, Claudia turned back to the computer and took one last look at the siphoning program on the screen.

"Sayonara, baby," she said quietly.

She typed in the command to terminate the program.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Claudia's trip took a total of two days. Most of the first day was spent driving back to the apartment and boxing things up. Taking down what she had dubbed the Search for Artie took some time. Then she had to decide which books she wanted to keep and which ones she could settle for using the Warehouse copies of. By the time she finished, it was late into the night. It only took her a few minutes to fall asleep.

The second day she loaded her things into the car and cleaned the apartment before talking to Mrs. Richardson. The woman didn't seem to mind that Claudia hadn't given any notice as long as the place was clean. After heading over to the Thai place for one last meal, Claudia began the drive back to the Warehouse. It was official now. She no longer had a back-up. All her eggs were in one basket. Hopefully no one decided to drop it.

It was late when she got back to the B&B. There were a few lights on inside. Pete and Myka's cars were both parked in the driveway. Claudia parked the car and grabbed one of the three large boxes out of the back before heading in.

"Marco?" she called, pushing the front door open.

"Polo!" Pete and Myka both called. Claudia stepped inside to see the two older agents in the living room. Myka was sitting on the couch and Pete was in the large chair across from her. They seemed to have been discussing something, but they both smiled at Claudia.

"Hey guys," Claudia said, balancing the box against the wall.

"Hey, you got your stuff!" Pete said, seeing the box.

"You want some help?" Myka offered.

"Sure," Claudia said. "There's not that much."

"Allow us to be of service," Pete said, standing up and giving a bow.

Claudia laughed. She held the door with her foot while Pete and Myka went out to the car. Myka came back first, carrying the lighter of the two boxes. When Pete reached the door a moment later, he was puffing.

"Geez, Claudia," he complained. "What's in this thing?"

"The remnants of my rather extensive book collection," Claudia admitted guiltily.

"A girl after my own heart," Myka said with approval as they started up the stairs.

Claudia and Myka reached the top with ease. Pete seemed to be having a bit more trouble with the heavy box.

"You okay back there, G.I. Joe?" Claudia called teasingly from the top.

"Fine," Pete huffed. "I'll get there... eventually."

Claudia shrugged and headed for her bedroom door. Myka followed suit.

"So how was your trip?" Myka asked as Claudia kicked open the door to her room.

"Long," Claudia admitted. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

"Not really," Myka told her. She glanced at the room (which, aside from a few clothes, barely even looked lived in) and then back at Claudia. "Where do you want this?"

"Anywhere is fine," Claudia said, setting the box she was carrying on her bed. Myka set the one she was carrying beside the bed. "How was D.C.?"

"It's a long story," Myka said vaguely. A frown had appeared on her face.

"Meaning what?" Claudia asked carefully. Myka paused for a moment.

"Ask Artie," she said finally. With that she turned and headed back toward the stairs.

"Okay," Claudia said, slightly confused. Pete finally stumbled into her room just then. He set the heavy box down with a thud.

"Whew," he wheezed. "We really need to talk to Leena about getting an elevator."

"Is Myka mad at Artie?" Claudia asked. Pete hesitated before answering.

"Yeah," he breathed.

"Why?" Claudia asked. "What happened?"

"Short version?" Pete asked. Claudia nodded. "Artie withheld some important info during the D.C. mission that might have been helpful for us to know."

"What information?" Claudia asked.

"Well, first off, he forgot to mention what the sword actually did," Pete said. Then he added, "It makes people invisible."

"I knew that was possible!" Claudia exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Pete said with a grin. "Anyway. Somebody was trying to get to the sword before us, so Artie used us as bait and then he wanted us to use Dickinson as bait and now Myka thinks that Artie thinks that we're just red shirts."

"That's kind of intense," Claudia said sympathetically.

"Yeah," Pete agreed. "Did you know that Artie was accused of treason?"

"What?" Claudia asked in confusion.

"During the Cold War he worked as a code-breaker for the NSA," Pete explained. "Then he was accused of trading secrets to the Russians. Mrs. Frederic scrubbed his record, but he had to change his name. His real name is Arthur Weisfelt."

"Dude," Claudia said in amazement. "I didn't even know that."

"It gets worse," Pete told her. "The other person who wanted the sword? He was working for a guy named James Macpherson who happens to be Artie's former partner."

"This guy's Warehouse?" Claudia asked incredulously. Pete nodded. "That's seriously messed up. But you did get the sword, right?"

"Only because Artie let MacPherson stab him in the shoulder with it," Pete said.

"What?!" Claudia gasped. "Is he okay?!"

"Yeah, he's fine," Pete quickly assured her. "It's the sharpest sword in the world. He barely even needed stitches. But he did get a lecture from Mrs. Frederic."

"Ooh," Claudia winced. Pete nodded with a grimace.

"Yeah," he said sympathetically. "And now Myka's pretty pissed at him."

"I bet," Claudia said.

"You know what might cheer her up?" Pete said suddenly. "Scotchies."

"Oh, no," Claudia said, knowing where he was headed. "I am so not falling for that."

"Come on," Pete whined. "I know you know where Leena keeps her stash."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you," Claudia said, inching towards the door.

"Pleeease," Pete begged.

"Nope," Claudia said. She shook her head and backed out the door towards the stairs.

"Claudia!" Pete called in mock anger. Claudia jumped back and raced down the stairs two at a time. Pete pounded after her. He caught up with her as she entered the living room, grabbing her up and spinning her around. Myka came in from the kitchen just then with a book in her hand. She started laughing at the sight of them.

"Myka!" Claudia called. "Help!"

"Oh, no," Myka said firmly. "I am not getting involved in that."

Pete set Claudia down and the two of them looked at each other and then at Myka.

"You know what sounds really good?" Pete asked mischievously. "A Myka sandwich."

"No," Myka said, quickly shaking her head.

"I agree," Claudia said.

"Pete," Myka warned as he and Claudia both converged on her. She tried to back up, but they were too fast. "No. No, don't you dare! Pete!"

Pete and Claudia both caught hold of her in a giant crushing hug. Myka tried to wriggle free, but only succeeded in tripping all three of them. They crashed onto the couch in a tangle of limbs that actually pushed the piece of furniture back a few inches. It took a moment for them all to disentangle themselves and a bit longer for the laughter to subside. When it finally did, the three of them were slumped on the couch in exhaustion.

"It's good to be back," Pete said wearily. He didn't particularly care for hotels.

"Yeah," Myka agreed quietly. "It is."

A comfortable silence fell as the three of them soaked up the rare moment of relaxation together at the B&B.

"So Claudia," Pete said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "About those Scotchies..."

Claudia groaned. But as Pete's protests and Myka's laughter washed over her and as the front door opening signaled Leena's return to the B&B, Claudia couldn't help but smile. She had made the right call in letting the apartment go. She already had everything she needed.

Back-up plans were overrated anyway.

* * *

I've been slightly disappointed with the almost total lack of feedback on the last two chapters. So I'm switching tactics. If you don't leave a review, I'll send ninjas after you with the Honjo Masamune. You won't even be able to see them until it's too late. For all you know, they could be standing behind you right now... In other words, please leave a review. Thanks.


	8. 1x08 - Breakfast at Leena's

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This chapter consists of two parts: a slight scene extension early in the episode and then an additional at the end. I've also created a glimpse into what I think Claudia's past might have looked like. Enjoy!

* * *

**Breakfast at Leena's**

"_We hold on to each other. All we have is all we need  
because one way or another we always make it, you and me."_  
_-Skillet_

The sound of the front door slamming told Leena that Artie had left. She could hear muffled conversation upstairs as Pete and Myka gathered their things. Myka had gotten into the habit of keeping a travel bag ready and Pete could throw together the essentials in five minutes or less. As soon as they got going, Leena would have the B&B all to herself.

She headed back into the dining room to clean up the remains of breakfast. She had passed up on cleaning off the table earlier so she could talk to Artie. Not that he had listened. He rarely did. He could be incredibly thick-headed when he wanted to. Luckily for him, Leena wasn't in the habit of saying, "I told you so."

When she reached the dining room, Leena found Claudia still sitting at the table. The teen looked a little surprised. She didn't seem to have noticed Leena's entrance.

"Claudia?" Leena asked carefully. Claudia's head jerked up in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Yup," Claudia said quickly. She grabbed the last pastry on the table and quickly stood to her feet. "Good to go."

"I know Artie's been a little irritable lately," Leena said sympathetically.

"He's always irritable," Claudia joked.

"That's true," Leena agreed. "He's just worried about the Warehouse and MacPherson. Don't let it bother you."

"I mean, whatever," Claudia said with a shrug. "It's all good."

The moment was interrupted by feet pounding down the stairs at that moment. Leena and Claudia both turned to see Pete and Myka carrying small bags.

"Vegas, baby!" Pete yelled. Myka laughed as she headed out the door.

"Have fun," Leena called.

"Par-tay!" Pete said. He danced out the door singing a song Leena couldn't identify.

"Artie said they weren't supposed to have any fun," Claudia told her.

"What Artie doesn't know won't hurt him," Leena said conspiratorially.

"Hey Claudia!" Pete called, sticking his head back around the door. "I have to run back up to the Warehouse to get something. You want a ride?"

"Totally," Claudia said. She looked at Leena and held up the peace sign. "Peace out."

Leena shook her head, a smile on her face. She stepped over to the table and began stacking up the crumb-covered plates as Claudia headed for the door.

"What do you need from the Warehouse?" Claudia asked when she reached Pete.

"Issue 43 of the Iron Shadow," Pete said. "I left it there last night."

Claudia snorted.

"A comic book?" she asked skeptically. "Seriously?"

"The Iron Shadow is not just a comic," Pete retorted. "It's the story of a lone man standing against the injustices of society."

"Riiight," Claudia said, still not convinced.

The closing of the front door prevented Leena from hearing the rest of the conversation. She grabbed the last plate from the table and placed it atop the small stack she had created. Then she looked toward the door, craning her neck to see if she was truly alone. She was.

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Artie.

_You owe Claudia an apology._

Let him stew over that for a while. Over the last few years, Leena had gotten used to being Artie's conscience. Maybe this time he would be smart enough to listen to her.

As she slid her phone back into her pocket, she suddenly realized that she could smell something burning. She groaned and hurried back into the kitchen. The oven thermostat had been acting up for weeks. Artie kept promising to get it fixed, but so far it hadn't happened.

Leena hurried to the oven and pulled the door open. The oven mitts were sitting on the counter within easy reach. She quickly pulled the burning pumpkin pie out of the oven and set it on the stove top. It was slightly browned, but still edible. A few minutes more, however, and it would have been seriously burned.

"That's it," Leena said as she pulled off the oven mitts. Desperate times called for desperate measures. It was time to declare war. "No more Scotchies until you fix my oven, Artie Neilsen."

That would show him.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"I vote waffles," Claudia said, pushing open the door to the B&B.

"What?" Pete asked from behind her. "No! Pancakes."

"Waffles," Claudia insisted as Myka, Artie, and Leena entered the B&B.

"Pancakes," Pete argued.

"Waffles!"

"Pancakes!"

"Alright, enough!" Artie growled, rubbing his forehead.

"I think Myka should decide," Leena offered. Claudia and Pete both turned to Myka with their best pleading faces.

"I kinda want biscuits," Myka said honestly.

"Aw, come on, Mykes," Pete whined.

"You'll have to take that up with Artie," Leena said. "He's the one in charge of biscuits."

"Indeed I am," Artie said with flare. He gave a partial bow. "And I would be delighted."

"Thank-you, kind sir," Myka said, playing along.

"Assuming you can get my oven to work," Leena told Artie pointedly.

"Please," Artie said as the two of them began to walk toward the kitchen. He didn't sound the least bit worried. "How bad can it be?"

"Bad," Leena said bluntly.

"Bring it on," Artie told her. He had been spending way too much time with Claudia.

"Guys," Pete whined as he followed after them. "Can't we have pancakes too?"

"Hey, Claudia?" Myka said. She took a step forward to stop the teen from following the others into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Claudia said, turning back around.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Myka said sincerely. "For believing me."

"No problem," Claudia said with a shrug. "I know what it's like to have nobody believe you. And what it's like to be stuck. It's not fun."

"What do you mean?" Myka asked curiously. Claudia hesitated as if she didn't want to answer. Realizing she might have pushed too far, Myka hurried to correct the mistake. "If you don't want to tell me-"

"No, no, it's uhm... it's cool," Claudia assured her. She took on a bored tone, trying to show that it wasn't a big deal. "A few years ago I was with this foster family and the guy sort of had a temper. He didn't hit me or anything. He did throw a stool at me once, but that's a completely different story." She waved her hand to get herself back on track. "Anyway. Sometimes when he would get mad he'd lock me in his closet and leave me there."

"That's terrible," Myka said. She was shocked that someone would do that to a child.

"It wasn't that big a deal," Claudia said, trying to shrug it off. "And I wasn't exactly an angel, so I was kinda asking for it."

"It doesn't matter what you did," Myka insisted. "No child deserves to be locked in a closet. For any reason."

"Maybe," Claudia conceded. "But it really wasn't that bad. I had way worse in the psych ward. Electroshock therapy is a pretty shocking experience, to say the least. All things considered, I'd say I turned out pretty okay."

"You definitely did," Myka told her warmly. Claudia shrugged.

"Aw, you're making me blush," she said teasingly.

"No, I mean it," Myka said. She tilted her head as an idea struck her. "You know, we should have a girl's day sometime. You, me, and Leena. What do you think?"

"That could be fun," Claudia agreed. There was a wide grin on her face.

A loud crash sounded in the kitchen, followed by Artie yelling and Pete repeatedly apologizing as fast as he possibly could.

"We should probably go check on that," Claudia said, pointing over her shoulder.

"Yeah," Myka agreed with a grimace. "Before Pete does any more damage."

"Alright!" Leena yelled from the kitchen. Her tone made it clear that she was not happy. "Which of you is going to clean this up?"

"On second thought," Claudia said, freezing mid-step. She turned to Myka and pointed up the stairs, a silent question on her face. Myka quickly nodded her agreement. The second floor of the B&B suddenly seemed far safer.

The sound of Pete and Artie arguing echoed after them as they hurried up the stairs.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who has been leaving reviews so far. You guys are awesome. Please keep it up. As for the rest of you, please take a few seconds just to write me a sentence or two. It makes my day.


	9. 1x09 - Carpe Diem, Dude

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit on the short side, simply because I just couldn't really think of anything to write for this episode. But I promise the next chapter will be longer. Enjoy!

* * *

**Carpe Diem, Dude**

"_My best friend gave me the best advice.  
He said each day's a gift and not a given right.  
Leave no stone unturned. Leave your fears behind  
and try to take the path less traveled by."  
-Nickelback_

Claudia tried to keep her mouth shut. She really did. She'd already caused Artie enough trouble for one day. But halfway down the chalkboard, her curiosity had refused to die down. Finally she set down the chalk and slowly turned around to face the piano.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked carefully. Artie's fingers stilled, but he didn't look up from the piano.

"As long as you're not asking for the keys to the cherry picker," he said drily. Claudia decided to ignore that particular barb.

"What happened between you and your father?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Artie said evasively.

"I have time," Claudia assured him. Artie sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"We had a... disagreement," he said finally.

"About what?" Claudia asked. She pulled up one of the desk chairs and sat down backwards so her arms and chin rested on the back.

"It doesn't matter," Artie told her. "The point is that we haven't spoken since then."

"On a scale of yesterday to the birth of dinosaurs," Claudia asked curiously, "how long ago was 'then'?"

"Longer than you've been alive," Artie said irritably.

"That's a long time," Claudia said, impressed. Artie grunted in agreement. "So... How is a piece of music going to help you find each other?"

"Isn't there something you should be doing?" Artie asked, having clearly reached the end of his rope.

"I've already filled up the board once," Claudia whined

"Then go to Leena's and bug her," Artie ordered.

"Seriously?" Claudia asked, immediately perking up. "I can go?"

"Maybe then I can finally get some peace and quiet," Artie grouched.

"Thank-you so much," Claudia gushed. She leaped to her feet and quickly returned the desk chair to each proper place. Artie never rescinded a punishment. She wasn't about to give him time to change his mind.

"You're welcome," Artie said drily.

Claudia headed over to the chair where she had dropped her messenger bag that morning and pulled the strap over her head. Then she stepped over to the door. There she suddenly paused.

"Artie?" she said, her hand on the door knob.

"What?!" he asked in exasperation. Claudia hesitated, suddenly finding the toe of her Converse incredibly fascinating.

"You should try to fix things with your dad," she said seriously. "While you still have the chance."

With that, she opened the door and stepped out into the umbilicus. Artie looked up in time to see the door swing shut behind her. Suddenly the office was completely silent save for the almost inaudible whirring of the computer hard drives. Artie looked back down at the sheet music on the piano, a deep sadness in his eyes.

"You're a smart kid," he said quietly.

His fingers found their places on the keyboard and began to play the piece again. Maybe someday he would find the courage to reach out to his father. Until then, he would just have to make do with playing the piano.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Claudia walked through the front door of the B&B just as Pete came down the stairs.

"Hey!" he said, his adorable twelve-year-old grin on his face. "Me and Leena are going out for ice-cream. You in?"

"Absolutely!" Claudia said. "Five minutes?"

"Not a second more," Pete warned. Claudia chuckled and hurried up the stairs.

She dropped her bag just inside her bedroom and opened her closet. It only took her a moment to pick out a snappier outfit and change into it. Going out for ice-cream seemed to be the closest thing Podunk Dakota had to a night on the town, which meant it was her only chance to wear what would have normally been the perfect outfit for the latter. When you lived in the middle of nowhere, you made do.

Claudia headed back down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as Pete was heading out the door.

"Whoa," he said appreciatively. "All this for ice-cream?"

"Carpe diem, dude," Claudia said. "We good to go?"

"After you, my lady," Pete said, opening the door and giving a dramatic bow. Claudia laughed and headed outside.

Leena was already waiting beside Pete's car.

"You look nice," she told Claudia.

"Why thank-you," Claudia said in her best sophisticated voice.

"Hey, wait up," Myka's voice called as the front door opened and shut once more.

"I thought you were staying in tonight," Pete told his partner. Myka shrugged.

"I changed my mind," she said. Pete smiled knowingly.

"I call shotgun!" Claudia yelled as she dove into the passenger seat. She quickly locked the car door behind her.

"Hey!" Myka protested. "As a senior Warehouse agent, I think I should be entitled to the passenger seat."

"Sorry, Mykes," Pete said apologetically. "The rules of shotgun clearly state that the first caller gets the seat."

"Whose side are you on?" Myka asked as she punched his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Leena said with a chuckle. "There's plenty of room back here."

Myka walked around the vehicle and climbed into the back seat. Claudia turned around to grin triumphantly at her.

"You better watch it, missy," Myka warned her as she buckled her seatbelt.

"I ain't afraid of no Myka," Claudia said with a grin. Myka chuckled at the reference.

"Alright, ladies," Pete said, sticking his key into the ignition. "Sugary goodness awaits."

* * *

I've gotten much farther ahead on this story that anticipated, so I'm going to try to start updating every other day. In return, please, please, please be kind enough to leave a review. As much as I love writing, it's nice to get some feedback so I know I'm not just writing to a wall. Thanks again to those of you who actually take the time to do so. You're awesome.


	10. 1x10 - I Need a Superhero

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: One of you pointed out that season one was a long time ago and it might be helpful to provide a refresher at the beginning of each chapter. So. Episode ten involved Claudia, Myka and Pete's adventures within the Warehouse, namely the artifact B&B and the near destruction of the Warehouse due to the gooery getting blocked. The first part of this chapter is Claudia exploring the artifact B&B before Myka and Pete arrive. The second part is when the three of them returning to the B&B after going out for tacos at the end of the episode. Enjoy!

* * *

**I Need a Superhero**

"_If I go crazy, then would you still call me Superman?  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?"  
-3 Doors Down_

It was official. Claudia was not having a good day.

She had thought having the Warehouse to herself for the day might be entertaining. Flying down a broken zipline had not been part of the plan. Neither had falling through a roof.

"I am so getting grounded for this," she moaned.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Then she ran a quick visual check be sure all of her body parts were still attached and working properly. Other than being exceptionally sore, she seemed to be in one piece. Now she just had to figure out where she was. She was obviously in some sort of room. Her eyes widened as she realized that she recognized it.

"Holy bed and breakfast, Batman," Claudia said, pushing herself to her feet. She was standing in an exact replica of the living room at Leena's. A slow turn revealed that all the furniture was all the same.

"Sick," Claudia said with a grin. She caught sight of the stairs and her grin widened. If the downstairs was the same, maybe the upstairs was too. Maybe there was even a copy of her room.

She took the stairs two at a time, eager to check it out. The landing at the top was exactly like the one at Leena's. All four bedroom doors were open. Claudia stepped over to her bedroom and looked in. The furniture, bedding, and paint were completely different, obviously much older. But it was definitely her room.

"This is awesome," Claudia said. She stepped inside-

-and found herself back in the hallway.

"What the..." She let the sentence hang as she looked around. It was definitely the same landing. She had come out of the door directly across the hall from hers. But how?

She took a slow step back-

-and found herself standing back in the door to her room.

"O-kay," she said slowly. "Apparently the house is an artifact."

On a sudden impulse, she stuck her hand through the bedroom door. A look over her shoulder revealed her hand sticking out of the doorway across the hall. She pulled her hand back out of the doorway to find it intact. Weird.

"So it's a house with portals," Claudia said, mildly impressed.

She stuck her hand through the doorway again, this time all the way up to her shoulder. Then she turned around and extended her right leg as far as she could. After a moment of straining, her fingertips brushed the toe of her Converse. Claudia laughed.

"'Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of this test'," she said, holding on to her shoe. She let go and pulled her hand back through the door. "This is so much more fun than doing chores."

She checked the other two bedroom doors to find that they too were interlinked. After a few minutes of experimenting with the portal doors, Claudia began to wonder if the downstairs rooms worked the same way. She headed across the landing and back down the stairs.

She was almost at the bottom when she caught sight of the front door. She froze on the third step from the bottom, a sudden doubt entering her mind. If all of the doors were interlinked, then what if...

"No way," Claudia said. She tried to sound certain, but it didn't work. She walked down the last few steps and over to the door. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the front door open. The interior of the Warehouse stared back at her. Claudia let out a sigh of relief. She stepped through the door-

-and found herself in the entryway. For a moment she just stood there.

"Okay," she said slowly. "This could be slightly problematic."

She turned to look out the front door. She could see the Warehouse just beyond it. Maybe if she moved fast enough, she could break whatever field was trapping her. She broke into a run-

-and nearly crashed into the table in the hallway. Only a skidding stop and her outstretched hands kept her from flipping straight over it into the wall. Claudia held up her hands and quickly backed away from the table.

"This is not good," she admitted. She turned around and looked through the door she had just come from. Maybe it would work in reverse. She took a step through and walked right into the living room without any problem.

"Great," Claudia muttered. Then she realized she was staring across the living into the dining room. Which opened up onto the porch.

Her eyes widened.

"Back door!" she exclaimed. She hurried across the living room through the doorway-

-and came out into the hallway through Leena's bedroom door.

"And this is why I hate haunted houses," Claudia said darkly.

The rest of the downstairs doors provided the same result. The living room and hall closet were both accessible. So, conveniently enough, was the bathroom. The rest of the doors were all interconnected in some way or another. She couldn't even get to the kitchen for food, assuming that there was actually anything edible in the place.

"Craptastic," Claudia muttered as she headed back into the living room. She was starting to get extremely irritated. She stood in the middle of the room as crossed her arms, trying to think. "What would Artie do?"

Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized there was one exit she had yet to try. She slowly looked up at the ceiling to see a large hole in the roof. She could see the roof of the Warehouse through it. There was a large bookshelf against the back wall. If she got on top of it, she might be able to reach the edge of the hole and pull herself out.

"Es-ca-pay," she said.

She walked around the couch and grabbed the top of the bookshelf, giving it an experimental tug. It didn't budge. It felt as if it were attached to the wall. Claudia readjusted her grip and jumped up. Thankfully her shoes had good grip. Even so, it still took a bit of work to pull and push herself up to the top of the bookcase.

Unfortunately, the bookcase wasn't very deep. Getting herself into a standing position was a balancing act in and of itself. But finally she did it. With her back pressed against the wall, she looked up at the hole in the ceiling. She reached out her arm, but quickly pulled it back when she almost lost her balance. It was definitely out of arm's reach. She was going to have to jump.

"Geronimo," she muttered.

She took a flying leap out over the floor. Just as she thought she was going to fall, her hands caught the edge of the hole. She looked down and grinned at her feet dangling over the couch. Then began the laborious process of pulling herself up through the hole. It took a considerable amount of kicking and straining to slowly lift herself up. Finally her head reached the roof. She gave one more straining pull-

-and suddenly found herself falling down a dark tunnel. A second later she crashed onto a hard stone floor. Black powder rained down around her.

"Ow," she moaned. The ache that had been slowly receding from her body was now back in full force. "I better get compensation for this."

She pushed herself into a sitting position and found herself staring back out at the living room. Disheartened but not entirely surprised, she looked up through the blackness to see a small area of light far above her head. The fireplace. She had fallen back in through the fireplace. That was not good. In fact, it was very, very bad.

"Okay," Claudia told herself. "Don't panic. Whatever you do, don't panic."

She stood to her feet, brushing all the soot off of her clothing, and began to pace. She just had to think this through logically. It was painfully obvious that she wouldn't be getting out of the house by herself. But other people could still get in. Artie was out running errands, but Pete and Myka were both at the B&B. If she could find a way to let them know where she was, maybe they could come rescue her. So how...

"Cell phone!" Claudia exclaimed. Hardly daring to hope, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. It had three full bars.

"Yes!" she cried, punching her fist into the air. She quickly dialed Myka's number and pressed the phone to her ear.

The dial tone never came. Instead she heard a strange beeping. When she pulled the phone away, there was a message flashing across the screen.

"Unable to connect to network?" Claudia read in disbelief. "Okay, this is not good."

Maybe she had just lost service. It was Nowhere, South Dakota, after all. Call coverage could be pretty spotty at times. And the neutralization field in the Warehouse didn't exactly help. On an impulse, Claudia headed over to the stairs and walked up to the second floor landing. Maybe she could get through from higher up.

She redialed Myka's number, hoping it would work this time. Once again the message flashed across her screen. She tried is again, this time holding the phone as high up as she could reach. The same message appeared again. _Unable to connect to network._

"Crap," Claudia muttered.

She was starting to panic. The phone still said she had three bars. She tried calling Pete, Artie, Leena, and even Josh. She even tried calling 911, although she wasn't really sure what she would have told them if they had answered. Nothing went through.

By the time her last call failed, she was pretty sure she knew what was happening. Things could enter the house, but they couldn't leave. It seemed the cell signal worked the same way. She could receive a signal, but she couldn't send one.

"Okay," Claudia said, trying not to hyperventilate. "Now it's time to panic."

She gathered all the air her lungs could possibly hold, and then let it out in the loudest yell she could manage.

"HELP! Somebody help me!"

There was no response, of course. She was the only person in the Warehouse. It would be hours before anyone even realized she was missing. When they finally did come looking for her, it would take them days if not weeks to find her. Or maybe they never would.

She leaned against the wall by what would have been her bedroom door and slid to the ground. This was it. No one was coming. It was like being trapped in Russell's closet all over again. Claudia leaned forward and rested her forehead against her knees. She was going to be stuck here forever.

Suddenly there came a noise from downstairs. Claudia's head jerked up. It sounded like the front door. But that wasn't possible. She had to be hallucinating.

Wait. It sounded like there were footsteps downstairs. Claudia held her breath, listening intently. Was it possible?

"Claudia?" a voice called. Claudia sighed in relief. It was Myka. They had found her.

"Thank-you," she breathed. She pushed herself to her feet and ran for the stairs.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Who you gonna call?" Pete sang, pushing open the B&B door.

"Warehouse agents!" Myka and Claudia yelled as they followed him inside.

"Who you gonna call?" Pete repeated.

"Warehouse agents!" the girls answered. The three of them dissolved into laughter.

"Well," Myka said, when they had finally calmed down, "it has been a pleasure. But if you two will excuse me, I have a date with Jules Verne."

"Ooooh," Pete said teasingly. "I didn't know you had a thing for older men."

"I have a 'thing' for literature," Myka corrected, socking him in the shoulder. Pete winced and clutched his arm in mock agony. Myka turned and started up the stairs. "I will see you two in the morning."

"G'night," Claudia called.

"Night, Mykes," Pete said. Then he turned to Claudia and placed his hands on his hips. "Looks like it's just you and me, Robin."

"Why am I Robin?" Claudia asked.

"You could be Batgirl," Pete offered.

"Why can't I be Batman?"

"Because I'm the real agent," Pete explained. "And I have sweet gadgets. That means I get to be Batman. You're the sidekick."

"I'm the smart one," Claudia retorted. "And I make the gadgets. I should be Batman."

"First, young padawan, you must be trained in the ways of the Force," Pete said, giving a deep martial arts bow.

"I think you're mixing up your fandoms there, Obi-Wan," Claudia asked drily.

"You get the idea," Pete told her.

"Speaking of superheroes," she said. "I wanted to say thanks. For saving me earlier."

"Well, it was that or mop you off the floor," Pete teased. Claudia chuckled.

"You know, for a minute there, I thought you weren't coming," she admitted.

"I'll always come," Pete said seriously. "I've got your back, Claude. Promise."

Pete held out his pinky and Claudia couldn't help grinning.

"What are we, twelve?" she asked.

"Ten, according to Myka," Pete informed her. Claudia laughed, but she reached up and linked her pinky with his.

"Thanks," she said.

"That's what families do," Pete said. He grinned. "Besides, where would Batman be without his trusty sidekick?"

"Right," Claudia said sarcastically. "Someone has to wash the Batmobile."

"Now you're getting it," Pete said as he started up the stairs. "Oh, and make sure you change the oil too."

Claudia rolled her eyes.

"You better watch it," she warned, heading up after him, "or this sidekick is gonna give you a kick in the side."

Pete laughed, but Claudia couldn't help noticing that he quickened his pace up the stairs.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It was greatly appreciated. Please keep it up! On another note, this chapter contained a few other references besides the obvious Batman and Star Wars ones at the end. I can think of four right now. Imaginary gold stars for the people that catch them.


	11. 1x11 - Shelter From the Storm

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: We've almost reached the end of the first season. Craziness. Episode eleven centered around Edgar Allan Poe's notebook (which was sent to Myka's father) and his pen. This chapter takes place late that night between Myka and Claudia. I really wish the two of them had more screen time together because I feel like they could have a really cool big sister/little sister sort of relationship. This is my take on how that would get started up. Myka is really hard for me to write for some reason, so hopefully I did a decent job. Enjoy!

* * *

**Shelter From the Storm**

"_Just close your eyes. The sun is going down.  
You'll be alright. No one can hurt you now.  
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."  
-Taylor Swift (feat. the Civil Wars)_

It was almost midnight by the time Myka and Pete got back to Leena's. Pete headed straight up to bed, but Myka knew she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she tried. No matter what she did, she couldn't get the image of her parents stuck in the lantern light out of her head. She had known MacPherson was bad, but now she knew just how evil he truly was. Things had just become personal. She was going to get him if it was the last thing she did.

Rather than lying in bed waiting for sleep she knew wouldn't come, Myka flipped on her bedside lamp and picked up her copy of The Time Machine. It was one of the four books she had packed back when she had thought South Dakota would be a temporary assignment. She had bought a few books since deciding to stay, but most of her collection was currently floating through the postal system in a footlocker. Until it arrived, she would have to make do with what she had.

It was just after one in the morning when she heard a knock on her door. It was so quiet that at first she wondered if maybe it was her imagination.

"Come in," she said. The door slowly cracked open to reveal Claudia standing outside.

"I, um... I saw your light was on," Claudia explained awkwardly. She stood there for a moment, fidgeting with the doorknob as if she couldn't decide whether to go in or not.

As an older sibling, Myka had always had a fierce protective instinct. There was a time when that had come in handy for taking care of Tracy. Somewhere early on, however, Tracy had become a fierce independent who neither needed nor wanted her older sister. Myka had been forced to pull back and quietly watch her sister from the sidelines. That instinct, however, had never quite gone away. And now it was telling her that something wasn't right.

Myka scooted over in the bed, pulling the covers aside as a clear signal for Claudia to join her. The redhead only hesitated for a second before quietly shutting the door behind her. Then she crossed the room and slipped under the blanket.

"You can't sleep either?" Claudia asked as she leaned back against the headboard.

"Nope," Myka said. She closed The Time Machine and laid it on the bed beside her. Then she leaned back against the headboard beside Claudia. "I keep thinking about my parents. I always knew this job could put me in danger. But today it almost killed them."

"But it didn't," Claudia reminded her. "We saved them."

"I know," Myka said quietly. "But MacPherson's still out there."

Silence fell as they both drifted off into their own thoughts. Myka had never admitted it to anyone, but she had spent her entire life wanting her dad to be proud of her. She had wanted it more than anything in the world. Finally hearing those precious words from him that day had meant more to her than she could ever explain. It was like she had finally found a piece of herself that had been missing. But she had come so close to losing him before he ever got the chance to say them. If that had happened, she knew something inside of her would have died with him.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked over at Claudia. The younger girl was staring down at the blanket, lost in her thoughts. She was being strangely quiet. It was only then that Myka noticed her reddened eyes.

"What about you?" she asked. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Claudia said. She didn't look up as she said it.

"Nightmare?" Myka asked. Claudia hesitated for a moment. For a moment Myka wasn't sure if she was going to answer.

"Yeah," Claudia admitted quietly.

Two weeks before, Myka had woken in the middle of the night to hear noises coming from Claudia's room. When she had gone to investigate, she had found the younger girl in the middle of a terrible dream. It had taken a good deal of work to finally wake Claudia up. They had never mentioned it afterwards, but Myka knew from the terror in Claudia's eyes that it had been a bad one.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Myka asked carefully.

"No," Claudia said, firmly shaking her head.

"Okay," Myka said. "Just know that I'm here for you."

Silence fell again. It was admittedly a little bit awkward. Neither of them quite knew what to do with the situation.

"It's this whole MacPherson thing," Claudia finally blurted. "I finally found a place that I fit, you know? And now psycho Harvey Dent is running around trying to destroy everything."

In any other scenario, Myka would have smiled at Claudia's geeky analogy. But at that moment, she really didn't know what to say. Claudia had just verbalized Myka's own fear as well. The Warehouse had become her home and she was ready to fight to defend it. But how could they possibly defeat MacPherson?

Claudia looked over at her expectantly.

"This is where you tell me not to worry because the Bat Gang is going to save Gotham," the techie informed her. "You know, the whole 'good always beats evil' thing."

This time Myka did smile a little.

"You're not a kid, Claude," she said honestly. "I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't know if we can beat MacPherson. But I know we're going to try as hard as we can. At the end of the day, that's all we can do."

Claudia nodded thoughtfully as she mulled over Myka's words.

"Nicely put, Oracle," she said finally.

"Oracle?" Myka asked.

"Batgirl was already taken," Claudia informed her.

"Since when?"

"Since a few days ago," Claudia said. "Pete said I should be Robin because I'm the sidekick. But I'd rather be Batgirl. You're the walking encyclopedia, so that makes you Oracle." She paused suddenly, a wince on her face. "Okay, that may have been a bad choice of words."

"So who's Pete?" Myka asked, ignoring Claudia's last comment.

"He wants to be Batman," Claudia said. Her face made it clear that she didn't agree with his choice.

"I'm not seeing it," Myka admitted.

"Me neither," Claudia agreed. "He seems more like Robin. A really goofy Robin."

"Maybe Artie could be Batman," Myka offered. Claudia shook her head.

"He's more like Lucius Fox," she said. Seeing Myka's confused look, she added, "The smart guy who's in charge of all the gadgets. Did you not see the new movies?"

"I started the first one," Myka offered helpfully.

"Your education has been sorely neglected," Claudia said in amazement. "Clear your schedule Saturday. We're gonna have a Batman marathon."

"Does that mean Leena is Alfred?" Myka asked curiously.

"Apparently," Claudia said, wrinkling her nose. The idea was definitely a bit odd. "Kudos for knowing his name, by the way. But that does not get you out of Saturday."

"Fine," Myka huffed. Claudia grinned in triumph.

"We still haven't decided who Mrs. Frederic is," Myka said, her brow furrowing.

"Good point," Claudia agreed. They both sat in silence as they thought it over. Then they both looked up at each other.

"Batman," they both said at once.

"She definitely has that air of secrecy," Myka pointed out.

"And she's got the disappearing thing down," Claudia agreed.

"I can see her in a black costume," Myka said thoughtfully.

"It would definitely be intimidating," Claudia agreed. She looked over at Myka. "Maybe that's how we defeat MacPherson."

"With Mrs. Frederic in a Batman suit?" Myka asked skeptically.

There was something extremely hilarious about that mental image. The two of them looked at each other and then it was all over. They both started laughing.

"Speaking of terrifying," Myka said when they finally calmed down. "Today was your first day in the field, right?" Claudia nodded. "You did really well."

"I didn't really do that much," Claudia said, shrugging it off.

"But you did it well," Myka assured her. "And it meant a lot to me." A small smile slowly crossed Claudia's face. "Besides, sometimes less action is better."

"Meaning what?" Claudia asked curiously.

"Meaning that my first day as a Warehouse agent wasn't exactly smooth," Myka said. Claudia's expression silently asked for the rest of the story, so Myka explained. She held up her hand, ticking off the incidents one by one. "I was in a car crash, ended up in the hospital, had a hallucination of my dead former partner, got whammied by an artifact that almost made me shoot myself, and narrowly avoided having a front a row seat at a human sacrifice."

"Wow," Claudia said, looking impressed.

"Yeah," Myka agreed. "It was not one of my better days."

"And you still stayed," Claudia said. The older agent nodded.

"You know how it is," Myka told her. "Once you've seen the Warehouse, you can't imagine being anywhere else."

"It's kinda like the Island of Misfit Toys," Claudia said quietly. "Except that we actually have a purpose here."

"Yeah," Myka agreed fondly. "I guess it kind of is."

There was another short moment of silence. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Rather it was the silence of two people who were just being together. Suddenly Myka was incredibly glad Claudia had come in. Though she would never have admitted it, she was in desperate need of company after everything that had happened. She needed someone to distract her from her fears and doubts. And Claudia had accomplished that perfectly.

"Thanks," Claudia said quietly.

"For what?" Myka asked, looking over at her.

"For being here," Claudia said. "And for not treating me like an irritating kid."

"You're not," Myka assured her. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Claudia's mouth. Suddenly Myka found herself wondering how many people in the girl's life had ever told her that she was worth something. She made herself a mental note to do it more often.

"What're you reading?" Claudia asked, looking over at the book on the bed.

"The Time Machine by H.G. Wells," Myka said. She held up the book so Claudia could see the cover.

"Never read it," Claudia admitted.

"Apparently I'm not the only one whose education is lacking," Myka said.

"Josh used to read to me all the time when I was a kid," Claudia told her. There was a twinkle in her eyes that told Myka it was a pleasant memory. "I haven't really done much fun reading since then. I never seemed to find the time."

"Well, then I think it's time we change that," Myka informed her. She glanced over at the clock. It was nearly two in the morning. They should be heading to bed, but she had a feeling neither of them was quite ready for that. She looked back over at Claudia. "You up for a little story time?"

"You don't mind?" Claudia asked carefully.

"Not if you don't," Myka said. Claudia only had to think it over for a second.

"Why not?" she said.

Myka pulled out her book mark and flipped back to the very first page of the book. Claudia scooted over next to her so she could read along.

"Chapter 1," Myka began. "The time traveler (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us..."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Pete woke him up at 3 a.m. just like he did every night. His stomach was grumbling irritably, telling him that it was time for a sandwich. He was more than happy to oblige.

As he stepped out into the hallway, he realized that there was light coming from under Myka's door. She was probably having trouble sleeping after everything that had happened with her parents. Pete headed over to her door and gave a small knock.

"Mykes?" he said quietly. There was no answer. Pete turned the knob and opened the door into the bedroom. The sight that met him caused a huge smile to cross his face.

Myka and Claudia were slumped against the pillows, both fast asleep. Claudia's head was on Myka's shoulder and Myka's head had come to rest on top of Claudia's. They looked more peaceful than he had seen either of them look in a good while.

There was a book still open in Myka's lap. Apparently she had fallen asleep while reading. Pete crept quietly over to the bed and picked it up, inserting Myka's bookmark in the proper place before putting the book on her bedside table. Then he carefully pulled the blanket up over Myka and Claudia. Satisfied with his work, he turned off the lamp and crept back to the door.

"Good night," he whispered.

He quietly closed the door behind him.

* * *

So how did I do? Leave a quick review and let me know what you thought!


	12. 1x12 - The Prodigal Daughter

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the phone.

Author's Note: The chapter ends season one. Wow. The season finale had the gang discovering evidence suggesting Claudia was MacPherson's spy. This chapter shows what happened to Claudia between leaving the Warehouse and running away from Leena's. For those of you who have been wanting to see more tough Claudia, this chapter contains a bit of that. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Prodigal Daughter**

"_And I wonder how long it'll take them  
to notice that I'm gone.  
And I wonder how far it'll take me  
to run away."  
-P!nk_

This couldn't be happening. It wasn't possible. But all the evidence said it was. First MacPherson had contacted her, then the display said she had stolen an artifact, and now Leena said there was something wrong with her. It was too much. The fledgling life she had slowly begun to build was suddenly going up in flames. So Claudia did what she did best: she ran.

One of the few foster brothers she had been on speaking terms with had been good with cars and Claudia had gotten him to teach her how to hotwire them. Since then she had stolen enough rides that she could have done it in her sleep. Unlocking and hotwiring Leena's small car was a slice of pie. It only took Claudia a moment to locate the wires, strip them, and get the car working. Thankfully the alarm wasn't turned on.

She drove over the speed limit all the way to the B&B. There were never any cops around to care. Originally Claudia had just meant to get away from the Warehouse for some air, but by the time she reached Leena's she was in full-on flight mode. Mrs. Frederic and Leena seemed to have already decided that she was guilty. There wasn't time to dwell on how much that hurt. If they thought she had betrayed them, they would be taking drastic action against her. That meant it was time to get out of Dodge. Fast.

Claudia parked Leena's car and jumped out, leaving the vehicle running. She couldn't risk turning it off in case it decided not to restart. She hurried through the front door and up the stairs to her room. Thankfully everyone else was out in the field, so there was no need to explain herself to anyone.

Her messenger bag was sitting near her bedroom door. Claudia quickly dumped its contents out on the bed and began to repack it. She had done this enough times to know what was needed. There was a tin hidden in her desk containing what remained of her winnings from Las Vegas. It was good start. She dumped the money into the bag, along with a small wooden box containing various mementos she had held on to over the years. She also grabbed a spare change of clothes to tide her over until she could buy more. She made a point of selecting articles that wouldn't attract attention.

Her computer and phone would have to stay behind. They would be far too easy to track. Besides, they could easily be replaced. With someone else's money, of course. All of her important files were saved to a back-up drive. That went into the bag as well.

The books took a bit longer. Claudia stood in front of her shelves for a long moment before finally deciding on two to take with her. She could rebuild her collection later. It would give her something to do while she laid low and waited for everyone to forget about her.

Satisfied that she had everything, Claudia swung the strap of the messenger bag over her shoulder. Then she caught sight of the picture on her desk. Pete and Myka had trapped her in the middle of a tight hug and somehow Leena had managed to get a picture. Claudia picked up the photo and studied it. She looked so happy. She had really thought that it was going to last this time.

She should have known better.

Part of her wanted to slip the picture into her bag and take it with her. But another part of her knew that if she did, she would always be looking back at it. Sentimentality led to mistakes. If she was going to do this, she had to burn all her bridges completely. But the ties she had built over the last few months were strong. They refused to let themselves be severed without at least some explanation as to why.

Claudia grabbed her phone from where she had tossed it on her bed and switched on the camera. Then she turned the phone around so the camera faced her. A quick press of the button set the camera recording.

"Hey," Claudia said awkwardly to the phone. "So, um, obviously if you guys are watching this, then you know that I'm gone. Well, not gone gone. Just... not here."

Claudia shook her head, trying to refocus herself.

"I don't really know what happened," she admitted. "Leena and Mrs. Frederic think that I'm helping MacPherson. But you know that I would never betray the Warehouse like that. I would never do anything to hurt any of you. Not on purpose."

She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to figure out what to say.

"Maybe they're right," she said quietly. "Maybe MacPherson brainwashed me somehow and I've been working for him in my sleep or something. Or maybe I'm just crazy. I don't know. But I can't stay here anymore. If I really am a mole, then it's too dangerous for all of you. And if I'm not... Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Everybody already thinks it's me anyway."

She paused again as emotion threatened to get the better of her.

"When you find MacPherson, kick his teeth in for me. Claudia out."

Claudia clicked the camera off and lowered the phone. A few clicks insured that the video would be the first thing displayed if someone activated the phone. At least this way Artie and Pete and Myka could hear it from her. She owed them at least that much.

She stepped out onto the landing, trying to decide where to leave the phone. Her eyes drifted to Myka's door. Was it really only last night she had gone in there to talk to the older agent? Sitting in that bed letting Myka's voice lull her to sleep, she had felt more safe and loved than she had in a long time. If anyone would believe her, it was Myka.

The door to Myka's room was unlocked like always. Claudia headed over to Myka's bed and set her phone down in the middle of the blanket. Then she balanced the picture against it so it was partially upright. As she looked down at the picture, her throat suddenly tightened. How had everything gone so terribly wrong? She looked down at the picture and her heart nearly tore in two. She couldn't do this. She couldn't.

She didn't have a choice.

She quickly sniffed back her emotions. She needed to leave before anyone else got back. If one of them tried to stop her, she knew she wouldn't be able to go through with it.

As she turned to go, she caught sight of Myka's copy of The Time Machine sitting on the desk. This time sentimentality won out. After a brief hesitation, Claudia picked up the book and stuck it inside her bag. Then she hurried out of Myka's room and down the stairs before she could change her mind.

The door opened and swung shut behind her. Claudia hesitated on the porch, staring up at the familiar glass in the door. This was the only home she had known in over a decade. These people had started to become her family. The thought of leaving it, of leaving them, was tearing her apart. But she had to. It was the only way. If she was some kind of double agent, then she needed to get as far away from the Warehouse as possible. And if she wasn't, this was the only way to protect herself.

She reached up and touched the doorknob in a silent farewell to the house and everything it had come to represent. Then she squared her shoulders and turned away. It was time to suck it up. She had to look out for herself now.

Claudia headed down the drive back to Leena's car. There was another car sitting at the end of the driveway. That wasn't surprising. They thought she was a double agent. Of course they had set someone to watch her. But it wouldn't be a problem. Claudia knew how to lose a tail. Even a professional one.

She tossed her bag into the passenger's seat of Leena's car before climbing into the driver's side. Her mind was already in logical planning mode. First she needed to see Josh. Maybe he would know what to do. Rapid City was the closest place with the most flight connections. That seemed the most logical place to go. Once there, she could head to a computer store and use one of the displays to buy a plane ticket to Geneva. Money wouldn't be a problem, not with the whole of the internet as her playground.

It wouldn't be long before some from the Warehouse noticed she was missing. And then they would be hot on her trail. She probably had a few hours at the very most. It was a small lead, but she could make it work. They would, of course, have the Warehouse system set to ping if a security camera caught sight of her. Her chances of getting through the airport unseen were practically nil. They would also be expecting her to go to CERN. She would see Josh briefly and then she would have to go undercover. Europe would be an easy place to disappear for good. Not even Artie Neilsen would be able to find her then.

She put the car in gear and started down the driveway.

* * *

Thoughts? Leave a review and let me know. Next chapter begins season two!


	13. 2x01 - Guide You Home

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This brings us into season two. Craziness. The season two opener shows the defeat of MacPherson and the introduction of H.G. Wells. When I was rewatching the episode, I noticed that Myka goes from being completely convinced by the evidence of Claudia's guilt to readily accepting her innocence only a few scenes later. I feel like something must have happened in that time to change her mind. Hence the last chapter with Claudia leaving a video recording. This chapter picks up from there. Enjoy!

* * *

**Guide You Home**

"_So if you're ever lost and find yourself all alone,  
I'd search forever just to bring you home...  
You know that I'll always come for you."  
-Nickelback_

Myka shook her head again as Pete parked his car outside the B&B.

"We have been working this job for six months," she said, "and you still don't carry your passport with you?"

"If I did carry it everywhere, I would lose it," Pete pointed out as he put the car in park. "It'll only take a sec. We still have plenty of time to get to the airport."

He climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him. After a moment's hesitation, Myka did the same. Pete eyed her curiously as he unlocked the door to the B&B.

"What'd you forget?" he asked.

"Nothing," Myka said defensively. "I'm just getting a book for the road."

"Six months on this job and you still don't carry books with you?" he asked smugly. Myka stuck her tongue out in response. Pete grinned and started up the stairs. Myka rolled her eyes before following suit.

Pete reached the top first and headed into his room.

"Give me just a sec!" he called.

Myka could hear him rifling through his desk as she reached the top. He probably didn't even know where his passport was. She shook her head and entered her own room.

The first thing she noticed was that there was something on her bed. Curious, Myka walked over to investigate. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the image as a picture of her, Pete, and Claudia. It had been taken two weeks before by Leena. But what was it doing in her room?

She noticed then that the picture has been resting against a phone. Claudia's phone. Myka picked it up to see a still frame of Claudia staring up at her. It was a video. Now Myka was intrigued. She pressed the button to start the video.

"Hey," Claudia's image said. She seemed a bit uncomfortable. "So, um, obviously if you guys are watching this, then you know that I'm gone. Well, not gone gone. Just... not here."

She shook her head to stop the rambling. Her short hair ruffled a bit in the process.

"I don't really know what happened," Claudia admitted. She looked far more serious than Myka had ever seen her. She also seemed terribly nervous and fidgety. "Leena and Mrs. Frederic think that I'm helping MacPherson. But you know that I would never betray the Warehouse like that. I would never do anything to hurt any of you. Not on purpose."

Claudia nervously bit her bottom lip. When she raised her gaze, she looked as if she had just lost her best friend.

"Maybe they're right," Claudia said softly. She seemed to have completely deflated, all fight gone out of her. "Maybe MacPherson brainwashed me somehow and I've been working for him in my sleep or something. Or maybe I'm just crazy. I don't know. But I can't stay here anymore. If I really am a mole, then it's too dangerous for all of you. And if I'm not... Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Everybody already thinks it's me anyway."

There was another brief pause. She looked so small and alone. Suddenly Myka just wanted to reach through the phone and hug her. Then Claudia's shoulders stiffened and a hard resolve entered her eyes.

"When you find MacPherson, kick his teeth in for me. Claudia out."

The video stopped and reset to the beginning, signaling that it was over. Myka just stared at the phone. She didn't know what to say.

"Found it!" Pete yelled, coming into her room with his passport held triumphantly aloft. He lowered his arm when he saw her face. "Mykes?"

"You were right," Myka said softly. "Claudia's not working with MacPherson."

She handed the phone over to Pete. He gave her a worried look before pressing the play button. Myka stood in silence as he watched the short video. When it finished, Pete looked back up at her.

"I should have believed you," Myka said guiltily. "I should have known it wasn't her."

"The evidence is pretty convincing," Pete pointed out. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should have," Myka insisted. This time there was anger in her voice as she pointed at the phone. "Look at her, Pete! She's scared. We're her family. We should have believed her. But we didn't. And now she's out there alone."

"Artie's gonna find her," Pete assured her. He rested his hands on his shoulders to be sure he had her attention. "And when he does, we'll get this whole thing sorted out. The best way for us to help Claudia is to figure out what MacPherson was planning so we can prove she wasn't involved."

"You're right," Myka said, giving in.

"Can I get that in writing?" Pete asked. Myka grinned a little in spite of herself.

"Don't push it," she said. She glanced down at her watch. "We need to go. Our plane leaves in two hours."

Pete gave a dramatic bow.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady," he said in his best posh British accent.

Myka shook her head as she headed for the stairs.

"Come along, Jeeves," she said, mimicking his accent.

"Yes, milady," Pete said with a grin. He turned and followed her down the stairs.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was late by the time they got back to the B&B. Artie had stayed at the Warehouse, saying that he needed some time alone. Myka didn't blame him. There was a time when MacPherson had been his closest friend. That loss would take time to get over.

Dinner consisted of takeout, something that almost never happened at the B&B. No one seemed to mind though. Everyone was exhausted. It had been a crazy few days.

After dinner, they all retreated to their respective rooms. Myka sat down her bed with a stack of reports and set to work. It was around nine o'clock when she heard a knock at her door. She looked up from the papers in front of her to see Claudia standing there.

"Hey, Claude," she said with a smile. "What's up?"

"I, uh, wanted to return this," Claudia said. She walked over to the bed and held out a book. It was Myka's copy The Time Machine. "I sort of borrowed it when I... left."

Myka made no move to take the book. Instead she looked up and said, "You keep it."

"Are you sure?" Claudia asked skeptically. Myka nodded.

"I can always buy another copy," she said. "Besides, I want you to have it."

Claudia looked from Myka to the book and back again. Then she slowly retracted her arms so she was holding the book against her chest as if it were a precious treasure.

"Thanks," she said seriously.

"You're welcome," Myka said with a smile. "But there's one condition. Next time you get framed for something, give us a chance to figure it out before you run off. That way Artie doesn't have to chase you all the way to Switzerland. He hates flying."

"I can do that," Claudia said with a small smile. Then she looked down at the toes of her shoes. "I just... didn't think anyone would believe me, you know?"

"Pete did," Myka told her. "He never doubted you. Neither did Artie really."

"What about you?" Claudia asked carefully. She seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for the answer.

"I didn't at first," Myka admitted. "But I should have. Sometimes I get so caught up in the evidence that I can't see the people behind it. But I know that you would never hurt the Warehouse. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's okay," Claudia said, shrugging it off. "For a while there, I didn't believe me either."

"Well, next time I will," Myka said firmly. "That's a promise. You're not crazy, Claude."

"You sure about that?" Claudia asked teasingly.

"Maybe just a little," Myka amended. Claudia grinned.

"You know," she said hesitantly, looking down at the book in her arms, "we never really finished that chapter."

Myka looked down at the papers spread out on her bed and then back up.

"I'm not doing anything," she said emphatically. Claudia grinned.

She climbed up onto the bed, adjusting a pillow so she could lean against it. Myka swept the mess of papers into a stack and pushed it to the end of her bed before joining the younger girl. Claudia handed the book over to her. Myka flipped through to the bookmark and located a line she deemed a fair starting place. Then she paused and looked over at Claudia.

"Hey Claude?" she said.

"Yeah?" Claudia said, looking up at her.

"I'm glad you came back," Myka said sincerely. Claudia smiled then. It was one of the biggest smiles Myka had ever seen from the younger girl.

"Well, you know what they say," she said. "There's no place like home."

"I'm pretty sure Dorothy meant Kansas," Myka said teasingly.

"Kansas, South Dakota, same thing," Claudia said with a shrug. "Now read. I want to know what happens."

Myka laughed. For the first time since the whole MacPherson thing began, she suddenly knew they were going to be okay.

* * *

You guys know the drill with reviews by now. I've had some comments about maybe seeing more of a tougher Claudia, so I decided I'd address that. Most of the story is going to be exactly this: humor, adding closure/clarification to specific plot lines, and further developing certain relationships. There will be some tougher Claudia later on as it starts to come back out in the show, but for the time being it's mostly going to be more of the same. If that's not really your cup of tea, then this may not be the story for you. I just wanted to clarify that to be sure we're all on the same page here. Thanks again to everyone who is reading this story and everyone who has reviewed it. I hope you'll continue to follow it as we head into season two. :)


	14. 2x02 - We Are Family

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sadly.

Author's Note: Episode two of season two was the one with the vigilante superhero (and the Firefly cameos!). It also showed Leena and Claudia mending their relationship, as well as Leena discovering that the Pearl has left her with some side effects. This chapter picks up immediately after the ending where the team surprises Pete with his new TV. It touches on Claudia and Leena's relationship (I felt like that needed a tad more mending) and then moves on to general team stuff. And fair warning, the end may cause cavities. I just couldn't resist. As for those of you who have been patiently waiting for Artie: he does feature in this chapter. I also have him making a small appearance in the chapter for 2x04, and then playing some more central roles in three other chapters for this season. So if you're an Artie fan, hang in there. He's coming. Enjoy!

* * *

**We Are Family**

"_We'll remember this night when we're old and grey  
_'_cause in the future these will be the good ol' days."  
-The Script_

"Okay, okay, I get it," Claudia insisted as she and Artie reached the bottom of the stairs. "Now please, for the love of God, stop talking before my eardrums burst!"

"Fine," Artie huffed. "If you would rather be ignorant."

"In this case, yes, yes I would," Claudia emphatically assured him.

"Children," Artie muttered. Claudia rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen.

"Please tell me you know how to find Artie's mute button," she groaned. Leena looked up from the plate of Scotchies she had just laid out and smiled.

"Sorry," she said sympathetically. "Can't help you."

"I wonder if I could make one," Claudia said thoughtfully as she leaned against the counter. Leena gave her a skeptical look. "No, you're right. Duct tape is cheaper."

Leena chuckled. Then she suddenly bent over, clutching at the counter. Her face had gone white.

"Leena?" Claudia asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Leena said, holding up her hand. She sounded out of breath.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Claudia said seriously. She took Leena's arm and led the innkeeper over to the dining table. Leena sank gratefully into a chair. She rested her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. Claudia carefully sat down beside her.

"You okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Leena assured her. "I just need a minute."

"Okay," Claudia said slowly. She was clearly not convinced. She waited in silence as Leena slowly caught her breath. Finally Leena looked up and gave Claudia a weak smile.

"See?" she said. She sounded exhausted. "I'm okay."

"What happened?" Claudia asked in concern.

"Just a dizzy spell," Leena said, trying to reassure her. "I'm just a little tired. That's all."

"It's because of the Pearl, isn't it?" Claudia asked quietly. Leena hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. There was really no point in lying. Claudia had already figured it out. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I called Mrs. Frederic and told her," Leena said. "She's coming by tomorrow to check on me. She'll know what to do."

Claudia forced a slow nod as the words sunk in.

"I owe you an apology," she blurted.

"Claudia, it's fine," Leena assured her.

"But it's not," Claudia insisted. "I didn't even think about what the Pearl did to you. I got mad at you for something that wasn't even your fault. You got screwed over too."

"I'll be fine," Leena told her. "And I understand. You were upset, so you lashed out. I admit that it hurt. But I understand. And I forgive you."

Claudia looked down awkwardly at her hands.

"I'm just not used to having anything to lose," she admitted. "It kinda freaked me out."

"Me too," Leena said quietly.

"Friends again?" Claudia asked. Leena smiled.

"Of course," she said.

"Good," Claudia said, pushing her chair back. It always amazed Leena how quickly the techie could switch moods. "Because my Scotchies aren't half as good as yours."

"Oh, so you just want me for my Scotchies," Leena teased.

"Pretty much," Claudia said. She stuck a cookie in her mouth before picking up the plate and turning back to Leena. "Wez goh."

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," Leena chastised, taking the plate of cookies from Claudia. The younger girl grinned.

Leena and Claudia headed back up the stairs to Pete's room. Artie was standing in the doorway giving some speech about superhero artifacts. Myka was partially listening. Pete was openly ignoring Artie, instead pouring over the case of DVDs he had purchased over the last six months.

"Enough with the lecturing, Gramps," Claudia said as she pushed past Artie into the room. "School is out for the day."

She jumped onto Pete's bed, landing on her back beside Myka.

"She comes bearing Scotchies," Pete said. Leena smiled and set the plate on the end of his bed before sitting down beside it. Pete and Myka both leaned forward to grab a cookie.

"Thanks," Myka said with a grin.

"You're welcome," Leena told her.

"So what're we watching?" Claudia asked as she grabbed another cookie.

"I think a superhero movie seems appropriate," Pete said.

"We never got to the third Batman movie," Myka said, taking a bite of her cookie.

"I actually fell asleep during the second one," Leena admitted.

"Unbelievable," Pete said in pretend shock. "How are we still friends?"

"You know," Artie said thoughtfully, "I do happen to have a collection of some of the older Batman films."

"I could go for that," Myka agreed.

"I think we should watch Iron Man," Claudia said.

"I want to watch Captain America," Pete whined.

"You've watched it like a hundred times already," Claudia told him.

"So?" Pete asked indignantly.

"It is his TV," Myka pointed out.

"Come on, Artie!" Claudia said, turning to the older agent. "Help me out here."

"I have actually not seen either of them," Artie admitted.

"You're useless," Claudia groaned as she dropped dramatically onto her back.

"Hey, guys?" Leena said, pulling a DVD out of the case. "We could watch this."

Myka immediately grinned when she saw what the DVD was.

"Yes," she said emphatically.

"Okay, you win," Pete said, closing the DVD case.

"I haven't seen that in years," Artie said. He grabbed Pete's desk chair and dragged it over beside the bed so he could sit down.

"What movie?" Claudia asked, sitting up.

"The Princess Bride," Leena said as she handed Pete the DVD. He walked over to the giant TV to put it in. Myka had already helped him pull the bow off of the screen.

"Seriously?" Claudia said, wrinkling her nose. "That sounds like a gushy fluff fest."

"Are you kidding?" Artie said dramatically. He opened his arms wide to gesture. "Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

"Wow, you've got that down," Pete said, sounding impressed. Myka chuckled.

"Got what down?" Claudia asked in confusion.

"It's from the movie," Myka explained. "And I promise you it isn't gushy."

"You've really never seen it?" Leena asked.

"I grew up in foster care," Claudia said bluntly. "The only thing we watched was TV. Some of which may not have been entirely age appropriate."

"That does put a damper on our relationship," Pete said as he closed the DVD tray. Myka held up her hand for a high five as he sat back down on the bed.

"Let me guess," Claudia said drily. "Also from the movie."

"Yup," Leena told her.

They all had to shuffle around a little bit to make room for everyone. Artie stayed in Pete's desk chair, his feet kicked up on the box the TV had come in. The other four managed to all cram in together so they were sitting against Pete's headboard. Myka and Leena were on the ends with Pete and Claudia in the middle, the plate of cookies resting in Claudia's lap.

"Everybody good?" Pete asked.

"All set," Leena assured him.

"Throw the lever, Kronk!" Claudia commanded, picking up another cookie.

"Oh, so you saw that one," Pete said as he pushed the Play button.

"They used to play it on the Disney Channel," Claudia told him.

"Used to play what?" Artie asked in confusion.

"Wow, you are getting old," Claudia said in amazement.

Artie's irritable glare was cut short by the roaring of the MGM lion. All five of them immediately directed their eyes to the screen as the movie's intro began.

"Brace yourself for the awesomest movie ever," Pete told Claudia.

As an old baseball video game appeared on the screen, it suddenly struck Claudia that this was what real families did. They teased and laughed and hung out together and had movie nights. Claudia had known for a while now that the Warehouse team had basically become her family, but this was the first time that she had really let the idea sink in. She, Claudia Donovan, had a family.

A quiet smile spread across her face. Family. She liked the sound of that.

* * *

If you have never seen The Princess Bride, then you need to go watch it right now. It's awesome. If you have seen it, why not take a quick minute and leave me a review? Please and thank-you.


	15. 2x03 - Relationship 101

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the comforter. Which, sadly, is imaginary.

Author's Note: Episode three of season two involved the movie projectors that projected movies into reality. It also included the introduction of Todd, who we all know Claudia has a crush on. The episode ends with the team heading upstairs to watch a movie and this chapter picks up right after it ends. Judging from what we now about her past, I think it's pretty likely that Claudia has never before had a crush or been in a romantic relationship. So this chapter came out of that. (If you're in that boat with her, don't worry. So am I.) And I don't usually care much for Taylor Swift, but this particular lyric was too perfect not to use. Enjoy!

* * *

**Relationship 101**

"_And if you ask me if I love him, I'd lie."  
-Taylor Swift_

"Next time we have a movie night, someone else picks," Claudia said as she, Myka, and Leena exited Pete's room. "That movie was weird."

"I, for one, have had enough of Raymond St. James," Myka said.

"Oh, I don't know," Leena said. "He's kinda cute."

"Speaking of cute," Myka said with a sudden twinkle in her eye. She turned to Claudia, who immediately shook her head.

"No," Claudia said. "We are not having this conversation."

"Why not?" Leena asked.

"Because there is nothing to talk about," Claudia said firmly. "And because I am going to bed now."

She turned and headed quickly toward her room. Myka and Leena followed after her.

"Admit it," Myka said, keeping pace behind Claudia. "You think Todd is cute."

"There is nothing wrong with admiring the way a guy looks," Leena pressed as they entered Claudia's room.

"He is not cute!" Claudia insisted. She reached her bed and turned around to face Myka and Leena. "And besides, it's not like I was looking!"

"Well, something made you go all doe-eyed," Myka teased.

"I was not doe-eyed," Claudia insisted.

"And now you're blushing," Leena added as she crossed her arms.

"No I'm not," Claudia said, suddenly nervous.

"She was really awkward around him too," Myka said to Leena.

"Sounds like a crush to me," Leena concluded.

"Mhmm," Myka agreed. "A big, fluffy, gooey crush."

"Alright!" Claudia cried, throwing up her hands. "I think he's cute! There. I said it. Are you happy now?"

"Yup," Leena said smugly. She and Myka exchanged knowing looks. For her part, Claudia suddenly looked mortified.

"I sound like such a girl," she groaned. She let herself fall onto her back on the bed.

"I hate to break it to you," Myka said as she and Leena both sat down on either side of Claudia, "but you are a girl."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Leena added. "Every girl has a crush at some point."

"Not me," Claudia told them.

"Are you really telling me that you have never had a crush on a guy before?" Myka asked. Claudia's only answer was silence. Unfortunately for her, that said more than enough.

"Never?" Leena asked in surprise.

"I am such a freak," Claudia moaned. She flipped over onto her stomach so her face was pressed into the comforter.

"You are not a freak," Myka told her, an affectionate smile on her face.

"When did you have your first crush?" Claudia asked, lifting her head from the blanket.

"When I was twelve," Myka admitted. "There was a boy who sat in front of me in history. He had beautiful eyes. And he skateboarded, which was very cool at the time."

"What happened?" Claudia asked curiously.

"He asked my sister to the winter formal," Myka said. Her brow furrowed as if she still didn't quite understand it.

"Wow, that sucks," Claudia said sympathetically. She turned her head to look at Leena. "What about you?"

"I was four," Leena said. "His name was Tyler. His mother and mine were best friends. We had play dates. We would hold hands and tell each other we were going to get married."

"Obviously that didn't happen," Claudia said drily.

"No," Leena agreed with a smile. "But we did stay good friends. We're still in touch, actually. He's a soldier now in Afghanistan. I write him letters every week and he writes back whenever he can."

"That's sweet," Myka said with a smile.

"Now I feel even more lame," Claudia said. She dropped her head back down to the comforter with a dramatic thud.

"So you have really never had a crush?" Leena asked.

"No," Claudia said. Her voice was muffled by the comforter.

"Not ever?" Leena pressed.

"No."

"How is that even possible?" Myka asked. Claudia lifted her head back up.

"Because most of the guys I've known have either been douche bags, foster siblings, or clinically insane," she said bluntly. She paused and then added, "Some of them were all three."

"All the more reason to go out with Todd," Myka said with a grin.

"Whoa, pull up," Claudia said seriously. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "No one said anything about going out with him."

"I think you should," Leena said.

"You haven't even met him," Claudia exclaimed.

"He sounds nice," Leena said defensively. "Besides, you're nineteen. You need to get out and live a little."

"Oh, because my day job is so not lively," Claudia said drily.

"All we're saying is that you shouldn't write him off," Myka told her. "He seems sweet. And he's not bad looking either."

"Besides," Leena said, "you never know. He might be your knight in shining armor."

"Right," Claudia muttered. "Or he could just be a moron in tinfoil."

"A very cute moron," Myka said with a smile. Leena chuckled.

"If you like him so much, then you can have him," Claudia told her flatly.

"There does happen to be a shortage of eligible single men in Univille," Leena said in mock seriousness to Myka.

"That's true," Myka said, playing along. "Maybe I should grab him while I can."

"Oh my gosh," Claudia groaned, covering her face with her hands. "That's one image I did not need."

Myka and Leena's laughter was interrupted by Pete sticking his head into the room.

"Well, look at you lovely ladies partying without me," he said.

"We're just having some girl talk," Myka told him.

"Claudia has a crush on Todd," Leena said smugly.

"The guy from the hardware store?" Pete asked, walking over to Claudia's bed. Leena nodded. Pete turned to grin at the youngest member of their team. "Oo-ooh."

"Great," Claudia said irritably. "Now the whole world knows."

"Do I need to give him the big brother talk?" Pete asked seriously. "You know, 'if you hurt her, I will end you'?"

"It's not like that, okay?" Claudia insisted. "I barely even know him."

Her phone beeped just then, signaling that she had a text. Claudia pulled it out of her pocket and punched in the unlock code. When she saw the text, a funny look crossed her face.

"Who's that from?" Myka asked curiously.

"Nobody," Claudia said, quickly jamming the phone back into her pocket.

"It wasn't Todd, was it?" Leena teased.

"Maybe," Claudia said with a wince.

"And how, pray tell, does he have your number?" Pete asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I... may have... given it to him," Claudia admitted awkwardly.

"I knew it!" Myka cried in triumph. "I knew you liked him!"

"I think it's time for a little Relationship 101," Leena said.

"I agree," Myka said.

"I'll go get the ice-cream," Pete said, heading out toward the stairs. Myka stared after him and then looked over at Leena in mild surprise. The innkeeper just shrugged.

"He probably has more stories than either of us combined," she said.

"True," Myka agreed. "And most of them are probably don'ts."

"I'm not going to bed, am I?" Claudia asked dejectedly.

"Nope," Leena said with a smile. Claudia let herself fall back onto the bed.

"I give up," she groaned into the comforter.

Myka and Leena just laughed.

* * *

How did I do? Leave a review and let me know! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are awesome. :)


	16. 2x04 - Aging Is Required

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This episode involved Man Ray's camera, which steals youth and almost caused Myka to die of old age. Near the end of the episode, Claudia gets left at the hospital with an aged Myka while Artie and Pete go after the bad guy. The first part of this chapter deals with what happened while the two of them were at the hospital. The second part deals with the episode's B-story, which was Claudia's botched date with Todd followed at the end of the episode by the beginning of what looks to be a far more successful one. The last half of this chapter picks up immediately after that second date. Todd himself will not feature because I just don't have a good voice for him. Sorry. But there is a bit of Artie in this chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it. Enjoy!

* * *

**Aging Is Required**

_"Baby, it's like we're  
walking on a wire through the fear.  
Take my hand. We'll get there.  
Sooner or later I swear we're gonna make it."  
-Mat Kearney  
_

"Consider me an ex-fan of Man Ray," Claudia said drily.

"Manny's," Artie said suddenly.

"What?" Claudia asked.

"Perry didn't say Man Ray's camera," Artie explained slowly. "He said Manny's."

"So?" Claudia pressed, not quite seeing the importance.

"I know how to fix this," Artie said, suddenly getting to his feet.

"Care to share with the class?" Claudia asked.

"I'll explain later," Artie said. He grabbed up his bag and turned to Claudia. "You stay here with Myka."

"But I-" Claudia began, standing up. Artie immediately cut her off.

"Stay!" he ordered. Claudia sat back down. Artie glanced back at Myka before saying quietly, "Call me if anything changes."

He hurried out into the hall, calling after Pete. A moment later the hospital room was completely silent. Claudia looked over at Myka and forced a nervous smile.

"They'll figure something out," she said. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. An awkward silence fell. Claudia started tapping her fingers against the table top in an effort to fill it. She never had been very good at sitting still.

"So what have you been up to?" Myka asked lightly.

"I met Todd for lunch yesterday," Claudia admitted without looking up.

"That's great," Myka said with a smile. "How'd it go?"

"It didn't," Claudia said bluntly. "Artie told me that I should be myself. Problem is, myself is pretty good at screwing things up."

"That's not true," Myka said gently.

"Yeah, it is," Claudia told her. "I'm a freak. I always have been. I'm probably gonna end up one of the those agents who's married to their job because there's no way I'm gonna find a guy willing to put up with this."

She gestured at herself before letting her hands drop. She looked utterly defeated. Once again Myka found herself reminded that for all her bravado, Claudia had grown up in a world that had constantly told her she was worthless. It seemed a part of her had finally started to believe it.

"Look at me, Claude," Myka urged. Claudia hesitated before slowly looking up. At least Myka's still looked like Myka. "You are not a freak. You are incredibly smart and amazingly talented. And you really care about people. And any guy who can't see that is an idiot who doesn't deserve you."

The tiniest hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Claudia's mouth.

"Right back at ya," she said. She shifted in the chair, pulling one knee up to her chest. "I know what you're doing, you know."

"And what's that?" Myka asked innocently.

"Trying to distract me."

"Is it working?"

"A little," Claudia admitted. "Shouldn't I be the one trying to distract you?"

"You are," Myka told her.

Silence fell again. Now that they had reminded themselves of the elephant in the room, neither of them quite knew what to say. Claudia glanced down at her watch after a moment. Then she sighed and began tapping her fingers on the table again.

"I hate this," she muttered angrily. "I hate not being able to do anything."

"I know," Myka said. "But it's gonna be okay. Pete and Artie are going to figure something out."

"You don't know that," Claudia blurted. Immediately she clamped her mouth shut. She hadn't meant to say it. It had just sort of slipped out.

Myka was silent for a long moment.

"You're right," she said finally. "I don't."

Claudia quickly looked away. She had seen dying people before. But it had never been someone she actually cared about. She knew working for the Warehouse was dangerous. She knew Pete and Myka had close calls. But she was never there for them. She always heard about them around the dinner table after they were over and done. And now Myka was dying right in front of her and there wasn't a thing she could do.

"Can you do something for me?" Myka asked quietly. "If I don't make it, can you tell my parents-"

"No," Claudia interrupted. "We are not having this conversation."

"We have to talk about it," Myka pressed.

"No, we don't," Claudia insisted with a shake of her head. "You said it yourself. Artie and Pete are going to figure this out."

"But if they don't-"

"They will," Claudia said firmly. "You are not going to die on me."

"Claudia-" Myka said. Claudia stood her feet, clearly ignoring her.

"I want a soda," she said quickly.

Claudia turned and hurried out of the room. She made it down the hall and around the corner before she had to stop and lean against a wall. Taking a deep breath, she rapidly blinked back the tears that had begun to fill her eyes. She was not going to cry. Not here.

After a moment, she managed to get herself back under control. She pushed herself away from the wall and continued down the hallway. There was a vending machine a few halls over. She remembered seeing it on the way in. Myka didn't really drink soda, so Claudia just bought one can of Coke. Then she headed back to the Myka's room.

"They were out of water," Claudia said as she entered, "for all the sense that makes, so I didn't get you any-"

Her voice trailed off as she looked up. Sitting on the hospital bed with her legs swung over the side was a completely normal Myka. For a moment Claudia could only stare.

"Hey," Myka said with a smile.

That one word was all it took. Claudia quickly set the Coke can down on the table before running over to the bed. She threw her arms around Myka's neck in a tight hug.

"Easy there," Myka laughed as she hugged Claudia back. "I'm okay."

Instead of loosening, Claudia's arms actually tightened around her. Myka smiled and let her hold on.

"I told you they'd figure it out," the younger girl said, finally forcing herself to pull away.

"You were right," Myka said. "Looks like I'm back to my old self."

"Maybe not the best choice of words," Claudia said, wrinkling her nose. Myka laughed.

"Maybe not," she agreed.

"So I was thinking," Claudia said as she leaned back on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows, "maybe it's time I take up a normal hobby. You know, something I could actually talk to people about."

"You could look into music," Myka pointed out. "You did buy that guitar."

"I was actually thinking photography," Claudia said, trying to keep her face neutral. "Maybe you could model for me?"

"No," Myka said firmly. "Absolutely not."

"What, you afraid the camera might steal your soul?" Claudia teased.

"Yes, actually, I am," Myka told her. She looked down at the hospital gown she was still wearing. "Now why don't you make yourself useful and go figure out where my clothes are?"

"Forget where you put them?" Claudia teased as she got to her feet. "Sounds like you may be going senile."

"Whatever happened to respecting your elders?" Myka asked.

"There's no shame in aging," Claudia told her. She turned in the doorway to look back at Myka. "You know what they say. The memory's the first thing to go."

"Get out of here, you little whippersnapper," Myka said in mock irritation. "Before I forget that I'm not allowed to use my defensive training on non-suspects."

Claudia's laughter echoed after her as she headed down the hall.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was early evening when Claudia finally got back to the B&B. She stopped on the porch, taking a deep breath and letting it out. Then she unlocked the door.

She almost ran into Artie as she stepped inside.

"Claudia," he said in surprise. "You're back."

In answer, Claudia wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Thanks," she said warmly. Artie awkwardly hugged her back.

"You're welcome," he said, not entirely sure what for. Claudia pulled away with a big smile on her face.

"Where are you headed?" she asked.

"Nowhere," Artie said. "I just left some paperwork in my car."

"Hey Claude, is that you?" Pete's voice called.

"Yeah," Claudia called.

"That would be my cue," Artie said, stepping toward the front door.

Claudia stepped into the living room to see both Pete and Myka sitting at the dining room table. They were craning their necks so that they could see her. Claudia shook her head and walked over to the dining room. She could hear Leena doing something in the kitchen.

"How was lunch?" Myka asked curiously as she took a bite of a Twizzler.

"It was okay," Claudia said, careful to keep her voice neutral. "We had a good time."

"What'd you guys do for four whole hours?" Pete asked.

"We ate lunch," Claudia said. "And we talked."

"About what?" Myka asked.

"You know," Claudia said vaguely. "Stuff."

"So does this count as a date?" Myka pressed.

"Maybe," Claudia said. A smile was beginning to force its way through her nonchalant expression. Myka and Pete exchanged a knowing grin.

"Did you kiss?" Pete asked teasingly. Claudia didn't answer, but she did turn red.

"Oh my gosh, you did!" Myka exclaimed.

"And?" Pete pressed.

"And... I'm going upstairs now," Claudia said. She turned on her heel and ran for the stairs. Pete and Myka turned to look at each other for a brief second before they both dove out of their chairs and took off after her.

"Hey, wait up!" Myka yelled.

"Get back here!" Pete called.

The front door opened just as Claudia dashed up the stairs two at a time. Artie stood in the doorway and watched as Pete and Myka pounded up after her. There came the sound of a door slamming and then opening again, followed by a scuffle and some excited yelling, and then a loud thump like something heavy landing on a bed. Artie just sighed.

"Children," he muttered. Leena came into the living room, drying her hands on a dishtowel. She looked up the stairs and shook her head.

"How does the saying go?" she asked. "Aging is required..."

"...but maturing is optional," Artie finished drily. "You have no idea."

The sound of teasing laughter echoed down the stairs, immediately followed by Claudia loudly defending herself. Artie shook his head.

"I give up," he said. He headed off toward the dining table, briefcase in hand. Leena watched him go before looking back up the stairs with a fond smile on her face.

"Just another day at the Warehouse," she said.

She turned and headed after Artie.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. It really means a lot. Please keep it up!


	17. 2x05 - Vengeance is Shiny

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the imaginary glitter.

Author's Note: Episode five of season two introduced us to Hugo Miller who's consciousness had been split by an artifact and half of which took over the Warehouse through the computers. The episode ended with Todd breaking up with Claudia after she had just realized that she really did love him. This chapter takes place a few minutes after Todd leaves the B&B. I don't have anything against Todd. But I also don't believe that Pete and Myka would have let him get away clean, even if he didn't really do anything wrong. So this chapter came out of that. I feel the need to clarify that I am not officially advocating any of the options put forward in this chapter. I also don't think the team would have enacted most of them. They're just trying to cheer Claudia up. There is one minor inconsistency with the show because in the next episode Pete is surprised by the news of the break-up. But this chapter just worked so much better with him in it. Enjoy!

* * *

**Vengeance is Shiny**

"_I pray your brakes go out running down a hill.  
I pray a flowerpot falls from a windowsill  
and knocks you in the head like I'd like to."  
-Jaron and the Long Road to Love_

Claudia was still sitting in the middle of the couch when the front door to the B&B opened and closed. Leena appeared in the entryway holding a few grocery bags.

"Hey, Claude," she said, coming into the living room. "Where are Pete and Myka?"

"Upstairs," Claudia said simply.

"Ah," Leena said. "Probably plotting something."

"Maybe," Claudia agreed.

Leena headed into the kitchen and set the grocery bags on the table so she could begin unpacking them.

"I thought Todd was coming by," she called as she put the cereal in the cabinet.

"He did," Claudia told her. Something in her tone worried Leena.

"And?" she asked, coming back into the living room.

"He broke up with me," Claudia said bluntly.

"Oh, Claudia," Leena said sympathetically. She headed over to the couch and sat down beside the younger girl. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Find me a new me?" Claudia offered.

"What's wrong with your you?" Leena asked with an affectionate smile.

"I'm a mess, Leena," Claudia said seriously. "No wonder he didn't want to put up with me."

"You are not a mess," Leena said firmly.

"You sure about that?" Claudia asked, leaning her head back against the back of the couch. "'Cause I feel like one."

"Well, then you, Claudia Donovan, are wrong," Leena said firmly. "Because when I look at you I don't see a mess. I see a young woman who has been through far more than any person deserves. But instead of beating her, it has only made her stronger." Claudia slowly looked up, signaling that Leena had her attention.

"I see exceptional talent and brains that are going to make an incredible agent," Leena continued. "I see someone who loves deeply and will do anything to protect the people she cares about. Someone who knows not to take life too seriously. I see a young woman who has no idea how exceptional she is or how beautiful, inside and out."

Claudia sniffed as her eyes began to water. Leena reached over and took her hand.

"You are amazing, Claudia Donovan," she said firmly. "Don't you ever forget it."

A grateful smile formed on Claudia's face.

"Thanks," she whispered. She reached over and wrapped her arms around Leena's neck. Leena hugged her tightly back.

After a moment Claudia pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Leena asked. Claudia thought about it for a moment.

"I will be," she said finally.

A door opened upstairs and Pete and Myka's voices drifted out. The sound of footsteps signaled that they were heading for the stairs. Claudia quickly wiped her nose as the two agents came down.

"I'm telling you," Pete said as they neared the bottom, "Iron Man would win."

"No, he wouldn't," Myka argued. "Bruce Wayne is way smarter than Tony Stark."

"But Tony Stark has a metal suit," Pete told her. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited for her to catch up. "He's like indestructible."

"Not true," Myka corrected as they entered the living room together. "Besides, Batman doesn't need an armored suit. He relies on his intellect."

"Okay, Claude," Pete said, turning to the younger girl on the couch. "In a fight between Iron Man and Batman, who would win?"

"Batman, obviously," Claudia said without even blinking.

"Hah!" Myka cried. She gave Pete a triumphant smile.

"It's 'cause she's a girl, isn't it?" Pete asked Claudia. "There's some sort of rule that says you have to side with each other."

"No," Claudia said. "I just know Batman would win."

"Only if he had time to plan," Pete argued. "In an impromptu fight, Iron Man would totally destroy him."

"Dude, he's Batman," Claudia pointed out. "He always has a plan."

"Yeah," Pete conceded. "But what if-"

"Alright!" Leena interrupted with a chuckle. "Don't make me separate you two."

"This isn't over," Pete warned as he sank down into a chair. Myka rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch on the other side of Claudia.

"Hey, I thought Todd was here?" she said.

"Yeah," Claudia said, looking down again. Leena gave a subtle shake of her head, signaling that it was a sore subject. Myka's brow furrowed with worry.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He broke up with me," Claudia said. She shrugged as if it wasn't important, but Myka knew better.

"Claude, I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Did you need me to go beat him up?" Pete asked seriously. Claudia shook her head.

"No," she said quietly.

"What about his car?" Myka asked, playing along. "We could always take the Carrie Underwood approach."

"He didn't cheat on me," Claudia pointed out. "He dumped me."

"That's irrevelant," Pete said.

"Irrelevant," Myka corrected.

"That's what I said," Pete told her. He leaned forward in his chair as his brain began spitting out other ideas. "We could egg his car."

"Or shoe polish it," Myka offered.

"Or spray paint it," Pete said.

"Or stick a can of frozen shaving cream in it," Leena offered. "If you punch holes in the can, the shaving cream expands and fills up the whole car." Seeing the strange looks the other three were giving her, she shrugged innocently. "What? I was a college student once too."

"I just never took you for the vindictive type," Claudia told her.

"I prefer to think of it as righteous retribution," Leena said. Claudia grinned at that.

"Doesn't baloney strip car paint?" Myka asked. Her tone was innocent enough, but there was a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

"Yes it does," Pete said with a grin.

"Okay, guys," Claudia interrupted. "I'm touched. I really am. But it's fine."

Pete gave her a look that said he clearly didn't believe her before continuing on.

"We could stuff his air vents with glitter," he offered. "You crank the air all the way up and then when he turns the car on: 'Poof!' all over him. And that stuff is almost impossible to clean up. He'll be a walking glitter monster for the rest of the week."

"Or we could glue tacks to his windshield wipers," Myka said.

"Wow," Claudia said, looking impressed. "You are a dangerous woman."

"Nobody messes with my Claudia," Myka said. She reached over and affectionately ruffled the younger girl's hair. Claudia quickly pulled away, shaking her hair back into place.

"As appealing as it sounds," Leena told them, "I cannot in good conscience condone any act of revenge against Todd or his car. Which, may I remind you, is innocent in all of this."

"Well, what do girls normally do when they go through a break-up?" Pete asked.

"Eat ice-cream and watch sappy movies," Myka told him. Pete made a face.

"Yes to the ice-cream," Claudia said. "But can we watch Alien vs Predator instead? Every time something dies painfully I can pretend it's Todd."

"Alright," Pete said enthusiastically. "We've reached the anger stage. By tomorrow we'll have her at acceptance."

"I'll go see if we still have any ice-cream," Leena said. She stood up and headed for the kitchen. Once she was gone, Pete got up from his seat and moved over to the couch.

"You know what this calls for?" he said, looking over at Myka. "A Claudia sandwich."

The two agents wrapped their arms around Claudia, firmly trapping her in a tight hug.

"Guys!" Claudia called from her squished position. "Guys, I can't breathe!"

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Pete said. But he and Myka finally let go. Claudia slumped back against the couch with a large intake of air.

"Look at you, quoting Shakespeare," Myka said, impressed.

"I went to college too," Pete informed her.

"You know," Myka said slowly, "Leena said that she could not condone any acts of revenge."

"Why, Agent Bering," Pete said, trying to look shocked. "Are you suggesting-"

"That it's better to ask forgiveness than permission?" Myka finished. "Yes I am."

"Claudia?" Pete asked. "Thoughts?"

Claudia hesitated for a moment.

"Well..." she conceded, "maybe just a little glitter in his air vents."

"Now we're talking," Pete said, clapping her on the shoulder. "I'll get my keys."

He got to his feet and headed up the stairs to his room. Leena came back into the room then with a strange expression on her face.

"We're out of ice-cream," she said, giving Myka a look.

"That's okay-" Claudia started. Myka quickly cut her off.

"We'll go get more," she said helpfully.

"Good," Leena said. There was a satisfied smile on her face.

"Did I just miss something?" Claudia asked, giving Myka a strange look.

"Plausible deniability," Myka explained. "If Artie asks, Leena can deny all knowledge of our actions."

"Oh!" Claudia said, understanding.

Pete came pounding back down the stairs at that moment. He held up his keys and motioned at the door.

"Let's go," he said. Myka stood to her feet and looked down at Claudia.

"You want to come or no?" she asked.

"Oh, what the hell," Claudia said, getting to her feet. Myka grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the two of them headed to the door. Pete held it open while they both walked outside. Then he stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Hey, Pete?" Leena called just before the door closed. Pete swung it back open enough that he could stick his head in.

"Yeah?" he asked. Leena's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Make sure it's a lot of glitter."

Pete grinned.

"You got it, boss."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next morning, Todd showed up to work completely covered in glitter. He was quite a sight. Word spread fast in Univille, and most of the town found some reason or other to visit the hardware store that day just to get a good look at him. The store got more business in one day than it had in the last month. It took almost an entire week before Todd's hair finally stopped sparkling. Of course, by that point it was too late. The sparkly vampire jokes had already become permanent.

* * *

You guys know the drill. Please leave a review!


	18. 2x06 - I'll Drink to That

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This chapter marks more or less the halfway point in season two. Episode six of season two involved Pete touching an artifact that caused him to hallucinate an entire conspiracy fantasy and nearly kill Mr. Valda, one of the regents. During the episode Claudia also discovered and hacked into the contingency file the regents have on her. This chapter takes place near the end of the episode with some of the end dialogue actually being taken from the show. For those of you who are Artie fans, he features fairly heavily in this chapter and will also be central to the chapter for episode eight. Enjoy!

* * *

**I'll Drink to That**

"_So raise your glass if you are wrong  
in all the right ways, all my underdogs."  
-P!nk_

It was a surprisingly quiet evening at the B&B. Myka and Pete had retreated upstairs to discuss recent events in private. Leena was finishing cleaning up the kitchen while Artie sat at the dining room table doing paperwork. Claudia had taken up a seat in the living room with her new guitar and was carefully practicing one of the new songs she was learning to play. As she played, she began to quietly sing the lines.

"_Find me here and speak to me.  
I want to feel you. I want to hear you.  
You are the light that's leading me  
to the place where I find peace._

You are the strength that keeps me walking.  
You are the hope that keeps me trusting.  
You are the light to my soul.  
You are my purpose. You're my everything.

_And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?  
Would you tell me how can it be any better than this?"_

She paused momentarily to check her fingering.

"That was beautiful," a voice said. Claudia jerked in surprise. She looked up to see Artie standing across the room. The table behind him was free of documents, all of them packed into the bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Geez, Artie," Claudia said accusingly. "You weren't supposed to be listening."

"Well, then you shouldn't be playing in the living room," Artie told her. He went over to the couch across from her and sat down. "You're pretty good."

"Thanks," Claudia said. A small smile crossed her face, washing away her mild irritation.

"What song was that?" Artie asked curiously.

"'Everything' by Lifehouse," Claudia told him. "It's been on Smallville and some other stuff."

"It's a nice song," Artie said.

"Yeah, I like it," Claudia agreed.

"So," Artie said, his expression suddenly awkward. "You and Todd..."

"Yeah," Claudia sighed.

"When did you break up?" Artie asked curiously.

"After Hugo's pushier half tried to take over the Warehouse," Claudia told him.

"What happened?" Artie asked. Realizing that she might not want to talk about it, he hurried added, "If you don't mind my asking."

"Nah, it's cool," Claudia said. She shrugged. "He just said he didn't think it was a good idea for us to see each other anymore."

"That's it?" Artie asked in surprise. "No big explanation?"

"Nope," Claudia said. "I mean, my job consumes most of my life and I can't exactly tell him about it. Maybe that was part of it."

"It's not your fault," Artie told her.

"I know, I know," Claudia said. "It's not me, it's him. Myka already gave me the spiel."

"Actually, what I meant was..." Artie trailed off as his brain caught up with his mouth. "No, that was basically what I meant. Is there anything that I can do?"

"As long as we're still stocked with Rocky Road, I think I'm good," Claudia joked.

"Are you sure?" Artie asked.

"I'm okay, Artie," Claudia assured him with a hint of a smile.

"Well, if you're sure," Artie said. He started to get up, but then he sat back down as an idea suddenly occurred to him. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What a minute. Is that the reason Todd's car vomited glitter all over him?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Claudia said as innocently as possible.

"I'm sure you don't," Artie said drily. He was clearly not convinced.

"So is Pete in big trouble?" Claudia asked, intentionally changing the subject.

"Mrs. Frederic put him on temporary leave," Artie told her. "But there shouldn't be any permanent ramifications."

"What about Mr. Balding?" Claudia asked.

"You mean Mr. Valda?" Artie corrected with a raised eyebrow.

"Same difference," Claudia said, waving him off.

"I think right now he's just glad to be alive," Artie admitted.

"Yeah, Pete almost cooked his bacon," Claudia agreed.

"Maybe this will help convince the Regents exactly why they shouldn't be involved in fieldwork," Artie said. There was a slight hint of rebellion in his tone that only showed when he felt like the higher-ups were meddling more than they needed to.

"I'll drink to that," Claudia said strongly.

"You know," Artie said, "after our completely unnecessary intervention, I think I've had more than enough talk of drinking for the time being."

A sudden devilish gleam entered Claudia's eyes.

"Well, in that case," she said slyly. "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

"That's not even funny," Artie told her.

"You can lead the horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

"Do you really have to do this?"

"Man, your lectures are a big drink of water."

"Claudia."

"I am just drinking this up."

"You're going to drive me to drink," Artie told her irritably as he got to his feet. Claudia grinned in triumph.

"You never know," she teased. "It might liven you up a little."

"I'm leaving now," Artie said pointedly. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at the Warehouse."

"Oh, Artie!" Claudia called. She jumped up from her chair, grabbing up the piece of paper she had set by the computer. "Listen, I understand the need for that contingency file. So. If you ever have to take me out..."

She held out the piece of paper with the back up so he could see the extra option she had penciled in. Artie took the list from her, suspicion evident on his face. He quickly read what she had written before looking up at her in mild surprise.

"This is how you want to die?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," Claudia said emphatically.

"Well, I do know how to reach David Bowie," Artie said. He handed back the sheet of paper to a suddenly ecstatic Claudia.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she headed for the stairs. "You rock!"

Artie shook his head as he opened the front door and let himself out.

"Sometimes I think I'm being used," he muttered.

* * *

Thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing. Please continue to do so! It makes the author happy. :)


	19. 2x07 - The Combustible Girl

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This episode involved the wrestling team that was combusting due to a whammied energy drink that almost caused Claudia to combust as well. It also showed the reappearance of HG Wells. Unfortunately, she doesn't feature in this chapter because aside from the scene in Coach Tappon's office and then at the end when HG is trying to save Claudia, the only time the two of them were actually together was the walk from the crime scene to the gym. But our favorite Brit will definitely feature in the chapters for episode ten and eleven, so there's that to look forward to. The first half of this chapter occurs right after Claudia falls into the vat of whammied energy drink and the second half is while she and Myka are flying back to the Warehouse. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Combustible Girl**

"_This life can almost kill you when you're trying to survive.  
It's good to be here with you and it's good to be alive."  
-Skillet_

"Okay, Claude," Myka said, kneeling back down beside Claudia. The younger girl was still shaking and her skin was burning up to the touch. "I need you to hold on for me, okay? We're gonna figure this out."

"Hell of a first mission, huh?" Claudia joked weakly. "How's this gonna look on my report card?"

"I'll be sure to talk to your supervisor," Myka said, forcing a smile. "Maybe she'll cut you some slack."

"Don't get your hopes up," Claudia told her. "She's a tough lady."

She gritted her teeth hard as a sudden spasm shot through her body. Myka reached up and began stroking the hair away from the younger girl's sweaty forehead.

"Hang in there," she said. It took everything she had not to plead.

"I don't have much choice," Claudia managed. "If I get killed on my first mission, I'll never hear the end of it."

"That's not gonna happen," Myka assured her. Claudia opened her mouth to reply, but it turned into a pained hiss.

"You know," she said, her voice pained, "I don't think I remember seeing death by spontaneous combustion on that list of contingencies."

"Well, then I guess you can't go out like this," Myka told her. She meant for it to sound light, but it came off far too close to desperate for her taste. She was the older agent here. She had to keep it together.

Claudia winced again. Myka bit her lip. She hated not being able to do anything to help.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"Tell me a story?" Claudia offered.

"Sure," Myka agreed. "What about?"

"We never finished The Invisible Man," Claudia reminded her. "How does it end?"

After finishing The Time Machine, Myka and Claudia had begun making their way through other works by H.G. Wells. They had started The Invisible Man the week before, but then things had gotten crazy and they had never found time to finish it. Claudia asking to know the end was almost too much. It was almost like she was giving up.

"We'll finish it tonight," Myka told her. "When we get back."

"Not sure I can wait that long," Claudia said. She sounded worried.

"Well, you're gonna have to," Myka said firmly.

Claudia winced again as another violent spasm tore through her body.

"You okay?" Myka asked sympathetically.

"My skin is on fire," Claudia managed. "Other than that, I'm just peachy."

Myka looked over her shoulder, but there was no one else in sight. What was taking them so long? They were running out of time.

"Hey, Myka?" Claudia said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Pete I said this... but I'm kinda freaked out."

Myka's eyes started to burn at the immense vulnerability of that simple statement. She reached up her free hand and took Claudia's, squeezing it tightly.

"You listen to me, Claudia Donovan," she said firmly. "You are not going to die here, okay? I didn't die on you in Manhattan, so you don't get to die on me now."

"Okay," Claudia croaked.

The sound of someone running caused Myka to look back over her shoulder. Jeff Russell was running back towards her.

"I have an ice bath set up," he said breathlessly when he reached them. "It should help slow the burning down."

Claudia started to get up only to wince again. Her grip on Myka's hand tightened to the point that Myka almost expected her hand to fall off from blood loss. Then her eyes fluttered closed.

"Stay with me, Claude," Myka ordered.

"I'll carry her," Jeff said. He bent down, slipping on arm under Claudia's knees and one arm around her back before lifting her into the air. "This way."

He began walking quickly across the factory, a barely conscious Claudia in his arms. Myka hurried after him.

_Please_, she prayed. _Please let her make it._

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

Myka looked up from her magazine to see a smiling stewardess standing in the aisle.

"No, thanks," she said politely.

"And what about you?" the stewardess asked, looking past Myka to Claudia. The younger girl quickly shook her head.

"I'm good," she said emphatically. The stewardess smiled and moved on to the people seated behind them. Claudia looked after her a moment before slumping in her seat. "I have had enough liquid for today. Oh, and energy drinks? Officially ruined."

"I'm sure you'll get over it," Myka told her with a smile.

"Wow," Claudia said incredulously. "I almost died, and this is all the sympathy I get."

"You're fine," Myka told her.

"But I almost wasn't," Claudia pointed out. "My goose was definitely cooking."

"Was that supposed to be funny?" Myka asked. She was clearly unimpressed.

"Fine," Claudia said, crossing her arms. "Ignore the fact that I was almost toast."

Myka rolled her eyes, which drew a grin from Claudia. She turned back to the window and stared out at the passing clouds for a while.

"So... what are we gonna tell Artie?" she asked, turning back.

"About what?" Myka asked.

"About HG. Artie's gonna be pissed that you didn't tell him she was there. And that you let her get away."

"Hey," Myka said defensively. "I did not let her get away. She slipped out while my back was turned."

"Potato, potahto," Claudia said, waving it off. "Point is: what are we gonna tell Mister Bossy Pants?"

"The truth, I guess," Myka said quietly. "We ran into her, she saved your life, and then she disappeared."

"I'm kinda glad she was there," Claudia admitted. Myka nodded.

"Yeah, me too," she said.

"You know," Claudia said slowly, "after all the fuss Artie made, I was sort of expecting her to be the spawn of Satan. She didn't seem that bad."

"The Regents bronzed her," Myka reminded her. "Don't forget that. They don't just bronze people for no reason."

"I know," Claudia conceded. "But maybe there's more to it. I mean, there's obviously more to her. She doesn't seem like an evil megavillain. Actually..."

"What?" Myka asked when Claudia made no move to finish her sentence.

"I just almost feel like... like maybe she belongs at the Warehouse," Claudia said slowly.

"You know, Artie would consider that heresy," Myka pointed out.

"I wasn't gonna tell him," Claudia said, her tone implying that it was clearly a stupid idea. "I'd rather not become the Headless Horseman's new sidekick."

Myka chuckled as Claudia had intended.

"You know," she said, glancing down at her watch, "we still have another two hours of flight time."

"And...?" Claudia asked.

"And I think that's more than enough time to finish this," Myka said. She reached into the pocket of her trench coat and pulled out a paperback book. Claudia grinned when she realized it was The Invisible Man.

"You brought it," she said.

"I figured we might have some time on the plane," Myka said with a smile.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Claudia demanded. "We could've had HG sign it!"

"Somehow, between the wrestlers dying and trying to keep you from combusting, it never occurred to me to ask for HG's autograph," Myka said drily. Claudia sighed dramatically, drawing a smile from Myka. "Don't worry. I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again."

"Hopefully without the combusting," Claudia said. Myka chuckled.

"Hopefully."

She looked down at the book in her hands and opened it to the bookmark. Claudia leaned her elbow against the armrest between their seats so she could read over Myka's shoulder.

"So, if Griffin is the Invisible Man," Claudia asked curiously, "does that make me the Combustible Girl?"

"Do you want me to read this or not?" Myka asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Shutting up now," Claudia said. She quickly settled back into her previous position. Myka looked down at the book before looking back over at Claudia.

"Hey, Claude?" she said.

"Yeah?" Claudia said, looking up.

"I'm glad you didn't combust."

Claudia grinned.

"I'm guessing if I had, you would've done a lot worse to Mahoney than just gluing thumbtacks to his windshield wipers."

"Let's just say you wouldn't have been the only one suffering a violent death," Myka said vaguely. She smiled over at Claudia, who returned the gesture. Then they both looked back down at the open paperback in Myka's hands.

"Chapter nineteen," Myka began. "Certain First Principles..."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Since you're already at the bottom of the page, how about leaving a review?


	20. 2x08 - All's Fair in Love and War

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Although I wish I owned a nerf gun. I should look into that...

Author's Note: Episode eight of season two was the one where an artifact caused Pete and Myka to switch bodies with each other. In the B story, Artie and Claudia went hunting down a pair of stockings that caused every man who touched them to fall madly in love with the wearer. Artie was affected near the end of the episode, which caused some craziness. In the ensuing chaos, Claudia got handcuffed to a stove. They managed to reverse the effects of the stockings by tearing them. At the end of the episode Artie left Claudia handcuffed to the stove, saying he could see nine different ways for her to get out. This chapter picks up immediately after that. Enjoy!

* * *

**All's Fair in Love and War**

"_We all got our stories, but please tell me  
what there is to complain about?  
Oh, this has gotta be the good life."  
-OneRepublic_

Artie was sitting in his car when Claudia came out of the house. She walked down the drive and pulled open the passenger door, slamming it shut behind her.

"You know that I hate you, right?" she asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"One minute and seventeen seconds," Artie said, looking down at his watch. "Not bad. How'd you do it?"

"Option number ten," Claudia said.

"And what was that?" Artie asked curiously.

"I had Lauren bring me the keys," Claudia admitted. Artie chuckled.

"Resourceful," he said. He turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear.

"It happens," Claudia said with a smile.

"Occasionally," Artie teased as he backed out of Lauran's driveway.

They drove along in silence for a while. It had been a crazy day and they were both tired. Finally Claudia turned away from the window to look at Artie.

"So I think we should talk about what happened today," she said carefully.

"Okay," Artie said, a little concerned. "What part do you want to talk about?"

"Well, for one thing, you almost got me killed."

"Not on purpose," Artie reminded her. "I was affected by an artifact."

"You pointed a Tesla at me, Artie," Claudia said seriously. "With the express intention of frying my guts. Those things can be lethal up close."

"I didn't actually shoot you," Artie pointed out. "Besides, you chained me to a pole."

"Yeah, to keep you from doing something stupid," Claudia retorted. "And you chained me to a stove, so I'd say we're even there."

Artie sighed.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said seriously. "I'm really sorry. If anything had happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself."

"I know," Claudia assured me. She fell silent for a moment before adding, "You also almost shot an innocent man."

"The artifact was messing with my head."

"And speaking of artifacts, you tried to blind me."

"I just told you I was sorry."

"Not for that."

"Well, I'm sorry."

"And you pushed me. Next to a busy street, I might add."

"I'm sorry for that too."

"I could've gotten hit by a car."

"I doubt it."

"I could've ended up in the hospital."

"Claudia."

"I could sue for assault, you know."

"Claudia," Artie repeated through clenched teeth.

"I think I have bruises on my wrist," Claudia said, looking down at it.

"Alright!" Artie cried in exasperation. "I'm sorry for everything! Are you happy now?"

Claudia smiled.

"It's a start," she said. Artie groaned.

"Did you want something else?" he asked irritably.

"I just think maybe I'm owed a little compensation, that's all," Claudia said innocently.

"How about I don't push you out of a moving car?" Artie grouched.

"I'm just saying," Claudia said. "You took somebody who isn't even an official Warehouse agent out into the field and then almost killed them."

"It was not my fault!" Artie said defensively. "I was under the influence of an artifact!"

"Okay, so it would be manslaughter as opposed to murder," Claudia said. "But that still doesn't look good on your report card. Plus, I'm basically still a minor."

"You're almost twenty," Artie said drily.

"I'm just saying there are certain details of this mission you might not want to get out," Claudia said innocently.

Artie sighed heavily.

"What do you want?" he asked in defeat.

"I'm sorry?" Claudia asked with a smile.

"You heard me," Artie said irritably. Claudia grinned and kicked her feet up on the dashboard.

"Well, now that you mention it," she said smugly, "I do have an idea."

Artie groaned.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was early the next afternoon when Myka was pulled out of her reading by a loud knock on her door.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened and Pete came in. Myka's eyes widened a bit when she realized he was carrying a brand new nerf gun, a bag of extra darts, a blue jersey, and pair of orange-tinted plastic eyewear.

"What's all that?" Myka asked curiously.

"You tell me," Pete said. He was clearly just as confused as she was. "I found it outside my door. There's a set outside of yours too."

"What?" Myka said, confused. She set down her book and got off the bed. A walk over to her bedroom door proved that Pete was right. Just outside it was a set of equipment identical to Pete's. A folded piece of paper rested atop the small pile of items.

"There's a note," Myka said curiously. She picked up the page and unfolded it.

"What's it say?" Pete asked.

"'The game is afoot," Myka read. "'We have taken the liberty of supplying your gear. Use it well. Good luck and may the best agents win. –Team Clartie.'"

"Team Clartie?" Pete asked, making a strange face. "What does that mean?"

Myka signaled for him to be quiet before carefully making her way to the top of the stairs. She quietly started down them, careful to make as little noise as possible. When she got far enough down, she craned her neck so she could see into the living room.

A foam dart came flying straight at her. Myka dove out of the way and the dart just barely missed her. She started back up the stairs, but turned back long enough to grab the dart before scrambling back up the stairs. Once at the top, she sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall.

"It means," she said, answering Pete's earlier question, "that Artie and Claudia have declared war."

Pete looked over at the stairs and then back at Myka.

"They want war?" he said competitively. "I say we give 'em one. Is there any chance of us getting down the stairs?"

"They're watching them," Myka told him. "I think they're using the couch as cover. We could make a run for it, but we'd probably get hit."

"So what do we do?" Pete asked.

"Well, I was kinda hoping you would have an idea," Myka admitted.

"You're the smart one," Pete reminded her.

"And you're the ex-Marine," Myka shot back.

"There's no such-" Pete began.

"No such thing as an ex-Marine," Myka interrupted. "I know. So think, Pete!"

Pete's brow furrowed as he thought about it. Then he suddenly snapped his fingers as an idea came to him.

"We ambush 'em," he said.

"How?" Myka asked flatly. "We can't get down there."

"No," Pete corrected. "We can't get down the stairs."

"But you know another way down," Myka said slowly.

"Yup," Pete said proudly. "If we strip the beds, we can make a rope out of sheets. Then we can climb down, sneak around the house, come in the back door, and bam!"

He clapped his hands together for emphasis.

"Seriously?" Myka said skeptically. "You want to make a rope out of bed sheets?"

"What?" Pete said defensively. "It works in the movies. Are you scared?"

"No," Myka said quickly. "It just seems a little... childish."

"Myka, this is a nerf war," Pete pointed out, holding up the plastic gun. "Everything about it is childish."

"Good point," Myka conceded.

"I don't know about you," Pete continued, "but I am not about to lose to Team Clartie. So unless you have a better idea..."

Myka looked over at the stairs, visibly weighing the idea.

"Okay," she said. Seeing the excited look on Pete face, she quickly added, "But you're going down first."

"Fine," Pete agreed. He picked up the jersey sitting by Myka's door and handed it to her. "Suit up, soldier."

Myka snapped him a smart salute.

"Yes sir."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Leena turned her car off and pulled the key out of the ignition. She had decided to take advantage of the rare slow day at the Warehouse and go run some errands in Univille. It had taken a bit longer than she had expected, but in the end she had accomplished everything she set out to do. With a bit of luck, she might even have time to kick her feet up for a bit before she had to start on dinner.

She pushed open the front door to the B&B and stepped inside. She had only made it a few steps inside when something came whizzing past her head.

"Sorry!" Pete's voice yelled.

Leena barely even had time to register what had happened before Claudia appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She caught Leena's arm and dove behind her, effectively using her as a human shield. Then the younger girl pushed Leena into the living room and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

The room was a mess. The couch had been repositioned across the dining room entrance, forming an effective barricade behind which Pete was kneeling with a nerf gun pointed over the top. One of the chairs was flipped over and the coffee table had somehow ended up across the room. The cushions from the couch were scattered all around, with the exception of the one Artie was currently using as a shield as he knelt behind the chair that was still upright.

"What is going on?!" Leena asked in shock.

Myka leaned out from the dining room and her eyes widened at the sight of Leena.

"Out of the way, civilian!" Pete yelled, trying to get a clear shot at Claudia.

"I leave for two hours, and this is what happens?" Leena asked in amazement.

Claudia reached her gun arm over Leena's shoulder, pulling the trigger on the plastic weapon. The nerf bullet shot across the room and hit the side of Myka's head. Claudia let out a loud whoop of victory.

"Headshot!" she yelled, coming out from behind Leena. "Team Clartie for the win!"

Artie struggled up to his feet and the two of them exchanged high-fives.

"There was outside interference!" Myka protested, pulling the dart out of her hair.

"I demand a rematch!" Pete added as he got up from behind the couch.

"Absolutely not," Leena said firmly. "From now on, there are no nerf guns in this house. If you want to shoot each other, take it outside."

"But Leena," Pete whined.

"Look at this place!" Leena told him. "It looks like there was a tornado!"

"We'll clean it up," Myka assured her.

"You better," Leena said.

She headed through the living room into the kitchen. The other four occupants of the room set to work cleaning up. Artie went to right the other chair while Claudia dragged the coffee table back toward its original place. Pete and Myka began pushing the couch back to where it belonged. After glancing over his shoulder to make sure Leena was out of earshot, Pete turned to Claudia.

"Rematch on Saturday?" he asked quietly. Claudia grinned.

"You are so on."

Pete headed off to help Myka collect the nerf darts strewn around the room. Claudia walked over to Artie, who was putting the second chair in its place.

"Nice work, Gramps," she said appreciatively. She motioned at their matching orange jerseys. "We make a good team."

"That we do," Artie agreed. He looked over at Pete and Myka across the room before continuing on in a quieter tone. "So. Are you satisfied now?"

"Definitely," Claudia said. She held up her brand new nerf gun and grinned. "Best compensation ever."

* * *

You guys know the drill. Don't make me come after you with a nerf gun. :)


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